


Just go with it

by victoriaOlicity



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Based on the movie, Children, F/M, Hawaii, Holiday, Marriage, No Arrow, No island, Olicity Sex, Sex, ex-wife, olicity - freedom
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2018-09-06 22:11:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 45,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8771374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/victoriaOlicity/pseuds/victoriaOlicity
Summary: Felicity smoke would do anything for Oliver Queen he is her best friend. They've known each other for five years. But when Oliver needs her help their friendship is tested. In so many ways .And feelings but will push down resurface. Will Hawaii change their friendship for good or bad. Or well something else come out of this trip for them.





	1. Mr Heart

**Author's Note:**

> So this I've been working on for awhile I've nearly finished it i'm halfway. It's based on a film but I have changed things. I hope you enjoy it but one thing I do need is a beta. I am dyslexic but I do need a beta. If this interest is anybody please let me know you can find me on Twitter @victori96572376 . 
> 
> If I don't get one I probably won't post this. Because my spelling is not good and my grammar is not good.  
> If I get a good response I still might post it but the spelling is the biggest thing.
> 
> Thank you to the person Who did beta this. <3
> 
> But I hope people enjoy it.

 The Poster   https://twitter.com/i/tfb/v1/quick_promote/ios/806112472813993984 

Felicity has been working at Queen Consolidated for five years in the IT department.

She worked her way through the ranks to become the head of her department.

Felicity loved what she does IT is her passion.

Five years working in at the same place you are bound to make some friends.

Just her luck she made friends with the Queen scion himself.

The one the only playboy extraordinaire, Oliver Queen. 

Their meeting was typical at best.

She met him while she was yet a lowly grunt in the IT department.

He spilt a latte on his laptop the big lug, which still makes her angry thinking about it.

The guy might look like a Greek god, but him and technology don't mix.

Her grandma could text circles around him.

Seriously, the guy only has a Facebook.

Felicity has been trying to get him into Twitter, but he can't understand why only 140 characters.

She's also been trying to get him into Pokémon Go, but failed spectacularly 

“Felicity, that's not exercise just walking around like that.” Felicity said to herself gruffly.

 

Go to Nyssa's gym he said you can get her abs he said with that damn infuriating charming smile of his.

Parking her car in her usual spot at QC.

She gather her purse and made sure she had everything she needed before exiting her car.

Today's corporate slaying outfit included her favorite panda flats, a lovely blue cardigan with poodles on it from Oliver paired with a pencil skirt.

The one thing she loves wearing is her signature lipstick, “heart kiss”.

It was a gift from Thea. The Queen siblings were a package deal when it comes to friendship.

Not only this Felicity gain two Queens she got a Diggle and a Merlyn who asks her out on the daily.

Oliver face gets this expression on it that she may read too into.

Cause he can't be jealous can he!?

Oliver made it crystal clear that his feelings for her are strictly platonic...

*Russia...four years ago*

The wind from the icy tundra whipped pass Felicity as she walked towards the Russia branch of Queen Consolidated.

She had to put on double layers in order to be protected from the cold.

The only reason her and Oliver came to this icy district was because they were summoned by the ice queen herself Isabel Rochev.

 

Shivers run down Felicity's spine when even thinking her name.

Cold hearted bitch is a favorable summary of Isabel.

Isabel has concocted the silly notion that Oliver and Felicity are sleeping together.

In Isabel mind Felicity shouldn't be there because she's not Oliver's assistant.

 

Even if Felicity were Isabel would still think that Oliver and her shared a bed non platonically.

 

Last time they heard from Isabel was a year ago when Oliver's dad died.

It seems so out of the blue that she wants to see him now.

She didn't even bothered going to the funeral.

Felicity opened the door to the Russian high rise and walk to the elevator banks.

Once inside she pressed the button for the executive floor.

It was eerily quite and Felicity didn't like it.

Before she could question it further Isabel comes out of Oliver's office clothes rumpled, sex hair and smeared red lips.

 

Felicity feels her heart shatter and leak on to the floor.

The feeling had her losing her balance a little. 

“Your services are no longer needed.

The man is worn out.” Isabel leered

 

Isabel looks over her shoulder throwing Oliver a scandalous smile “See you in America, Oliver” in her thick Russian accent

Felicity locks eyes with him tears threaten to spill.

She will not shed one salty drop because of  Oliver Queen. 

“Fe-li-ci-ty” Oliver said stressing every syllable

“What happens in Russia stays in Russia” Felicity said walking off 

The fact that he fucked the ice queen bothered Felicity.

It's a wonder his dick didn't freeze off.

The next she decidedly confront him about.

Because out all the girls in Russia no the world he had to fuck the bitchiest. 

“Why her!?” Felicity venomously

Oliver sighed deeply “It didn't mean anything.

 

I just think it's best for me to not be with someone I would really care about.

With everything that's going on with my dad’s death and the company.” 

Felicity searches his face and think that's total bullshit.

Six months later looks like she was proven right.

 

Oliver and Isabel got engaged.

Oliver did date McKenna, but the relationship went up in smoke.

It bothered Felicity that he was going to marry Isabel.

Oliver would fuck Isabel again, have a wedding with vows and everything, and eventually have little Olivers running around.

 

The whole thing made Felicity feel sick causing her heart to constrict painfully in her chest. 

Felicity couldn't wrap her head around Oliver willingly wanting to marry Isabel.

Until Oliver explained it to her.

“Isabel’s father owns a very big company and wants to help Queen Consolidated” Oliver sighed

Taking her hand he gave it a little squeeze “It's a business marriage.

Her father is old fashion and thinks a marriage between the companies is for the best.”

Felicity looked at his hand holding hers then at him.

His face was marred with concern and something else, but she wouldn't let herself believe what she saw.

Taking her hand from his Felicity clasped both of hers together.

“But you don't lover her, Oliver” Felicity said 

“I know I would love her in time.” He said 

“My mum really likes her and my dad really liked her as well” Oliver said with confidence   
   
*End of Flashback*

Felicity hung her head in resignation Oliver made it clear that he would never lover her in that way.

She would always be his girl Wednesday.

Felicity shakes her head from side to side trying to get back her good mood.

Taking a sip of her coffee helped her capture it once again.

Felicity walks pass Mark the security guard saying “Hi”.

 

She deposited a coffee and a donut on his desk it's her deal with him.

On Felicity's first day he helped her out when she was late and had coffee spilled on her by Carrie.  

Mark gives her a gentle smile “Good morning, Felicity.

You sure know how to mess up a guys diet.

My wife is going to kill me.” 

Mark takes a big bite of the donut then sips some of his coffee humming to himself.

“Mark, you look fine.” Felicity chuckled 

He had a little of a belly, but it was nothing to worry about.

Felicity smiled at him “See you later, Mark.”

She pushed her badge on the doors.

There was a beep and they swing open she walked through them heels clacking a rapid staccato.

 

Felicity made her way to the elevator banks.

She pressed the button for the 12th floor.

While Felicity waited for the elevator she got out her tablet and started checking the news and stuff.

She was that they were screening a marathon of Harry Potter.

For the life of her Felicity doesn't understand how Oliver hasn't seen any of them was he on a island for five years or something.

Nope he was just under women's skirts.

She loved her friend be God he was such a man whore.

Thank God, he changed his ways.

At one point he was engaged to Isabel.

The woman he was going to marry didn't love him.

Isabel just wanted his money and his company.

To add insult to injury it came out that Isabel had an affair with Oliver's father two years before she met Oliver.

Sadly, Robert Queen died in a boat accident.

After that the damn broke loose.

Oliver found out on the day of his wedding that Isabel was fucking Slade Wilson behind Oliver's back. 

Slade hates Oliver because he slept with the woman Slade loved.

She tragically died by being shot by a mugger.

Slade blames Oliver because they were in the Glades when it happened.

McKenna was with them and she didn't die.

Slade concocted this idea that Oliver protected McKenna instead of Shado.

Oliver is lucky that Moira doesn't know about Robert’s affair with Isabel.

In order for Isabel to be silent about the affair and to protect Moria, Oliver had to give her 37% of the business.

They say when secrets come out all of them does.

Felicity stumbled upon Thea’s patronage about three months ago and told Oliver about it.

Let's just say Moria didn't take kindly for such information to reach her son.

The woman hates Felicity guts now more than ever.

As a result of the Robert is not the father bombshell Oliver and Moria’s relationship is okay, but a little rocky.

Moria did cut him off are she found out that he didn't marry Isabel. 

“Oliver effective immediately you will not have access to your trust fund.

You will have to work at QC full time” Moria had said angrily

Oliver told Felicity he was really upset about it.

“I want to tell her about Isabel, but it will kill her” he said with concern

Oliver sighed “ My mum isn't stupid he knows my dad has never been faithful.

It will crush her to know one of the affairs was with Isabel.

God, Felicity she's her best friend’s daughter.”

Funny enough Moria thought Felicity wanted to fuck Oliver and take his money.

Felicity had to bite her tongue so many times in order not to tell her that Isabel was the gold digger. Secretly,

Felicity is a self made millionaire because she sold something to A.R.G.U.S. The only people who know are Oliver, Diggle, Caitlin, and Barry.

Hmmm not so secret after all.

Oliver has trust issues when it comes to women, now.

So, he's not in any relationship with them because of Isabel.

Felicity won't ever understand what he saw in her.

Isabel is Voldemort in Felicity's eyes.

Even her iPhone has her in there as Voldemort don't answer.

Oliver doesn't care that Felicity calls her that. 

“I didn't her love her my mum was pressuring me to marry her.” Oliver sighed

He has her saved as ice cold bitch.

Felicity programmed it for him.

Felicity understood why Oliver would marry someone he wasn't in love with.

He had told her once that he was expected to marry someone like Isabel because he's Oliver Queen.

Old habits die hard it would seem cause Playboy Oliver is in full effect.

Before he dated Isabel Oliver was dating gorgeous Laurel.

 

Felicity thought he would go back to dating Laurel.

Laurel had texted Oliver telling him she didn't love him anymore.

She didn't want to be the woman he cheated on, but gave him a second chance. 

Laurel: I think both of know our relationship was toxic from the beginning.

Oliver had showed the text to Felicity and she was quite surprised.

God, she loves him, but sometimes he could be fucking arsehole.

Not love love like in love, but love like in platonically.

Fake until you make it right!? Felicity has been on nine dates so far and every date she finds something wrong with the guy.

He doesn't have enough stubble.

He eats his food weird.

He doesn't speak Russian.

He's eyes aren't blue enough.

He's hair is too blonde.

He's skin is to perfect no tattoos in Chinese characters or a dragon no scars.

He's good at sword play but sucks at archery.

Oliver has scars they beautifully mare his skin and show he's a survivor.

He got them from a car accident he was in after his dad died.

Felicity tells him she find them beautiful cause they show that he was a fighter.

Oliver chuckled “You just like looking at me because of my abs.”

He always joked about the accident when someone brings it up.

It's like he was a castaway for five years and doesn't like talking about it.

Felicity thinks that's how it feels for him when he thinks about the accident.

She was brought out of her reprieve by the doors opening. 

Looking up from her tablet Felicity was filled with dread. Great he had to come in today.

Stepping out the elevator Felicity smiled awkwardly at the man in front of her.

Ray gives her a charming smile.

Felicity press the button for her floor.  

“Hey, Felicity I would love to go on a date with you.” Ray said

Felicity smiled politely “I'm sorry, but I can't it's unprofessional.” 

“Oh okay, well when the merger is done do you think we could go on a date?” Ray asked hopefully 

Felicity nods “Yes, we can.”

Why can't Ray have blue eyes and dirty blonde hair with stubble on his face, God.

Just why.

 

He has been working at QC for nine months now and every time he sees her Ray has asked Felicity out.

 

He even found her at the hospital when Digg's daughter was born.

Felicity didn't want to be rude to Ray because Palmer Tech and Queen Consolidated was in the mist of a merger between their Applied Sciences division.

 

Palmer Tech was a heavy hitter in the corporate world.

Ray is in the top 30 under 30 for billionaires in America.

Don't get her wrong the guy was like a Disney Prince handsome.

Ray is just a bit taller than Oliver.

His hair was a gorgeous black.

He looked handsome in the suit he was wearing it was black paired with a blue tie.

He was the total package.

Damn that sounded rude what I meant was he is what woman should look for. 

Unfortunately, he's just not what she wants.

Felicity has tried to talk herself into going on a date with him, but the conversation with her mum echoes in her mind. 

“You light up like a Christmas tree when you talk about Oliver.

Why don't you ask him on a date, hon?” Donna had said with a big smile.

Felicity sighed “It’s complicated mum and I'm in the friend zone.” 

Donna was a romantic even if she had her heart broken by Felicity's dad.

Her mother is now happily married to a police officer.

Felicity gained two stepsisters.

She doesn't know even know the name of one and Laurel doesn't talk about her.

Felicity asked Laurel about the other Lance sister and all she said that it was complicated.

Felicity is pulled back into the conversation by Ray.

“Okay, have a nice day Felicity.” Ray huffed

The conversation was over quickly as he stepped off the elevator waving goodbye to her.

The car of the elevator stop on her floor and Felicity stepped out of it.

Felicity couldn't understand why the people in IT were incapable of sorting out the higher ups laptop problems.

 

Why was she the go to person.

She has seen things no person should ever see.

It was only yesterday that she was sorting out Mr.

Wright’s laptop she he had clicked on some dodgy websites.

She would never get the image of grown men pretending to be babies out of her head.

She shuddered just thinking about what she seen while trying clean his computer.

She will always be grateful to Mr.

Heart though.

Who was to high and mighty to do his job and sent Oliver down to her office.

If he was a decent manager she wouldn't ever met Oliver.

 

A brilliant smile split Felicity's face when thinks about the day she met Oliver.


	2. Red Pen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I hope everybody's had a nice Christmas and have a nice New Year. Change the summary as it didn't describe the story very well. I have got my amazing beta Emily thank you she is new at this so she's doing really amazing job . Well I hope for 2017 we get more writers for Olicity . And we get some good moments in arrow . And for the Felicity gets a good story line. Oh and OTA God I miss that the most. Anyway I hope you enjoy the story. Just to let people know I am dyslexic so sometimes things might not make sense that my Beta tries her best. So please just take that in mind.  
> But have a nice New Year.

 

Oliver changed her life in every way, and all for good.

She smiles, thinking about when she met him.  
  
..........................(Flashback five years ago) ..........................  
  
Felicity had just moved here.

She's originally from Vegas but had moved to Boston for school.

After graduation she moved to Central city for a job.

  
Things didn't work out there so she took the job working at Queen Consolidated in the IT department.   
  
Felicity is in her office removing viruses from some manager’s computer.   
God, it's so weird that men watch porn at work.

And women, too, she thought.

But the worst part of this job is that she has to open the file to find out what it is and how long it's going to take it to wipe it.   
  
She looks for her headphones and can't find them.

Great, she thinks. It’s early so at least nobody is in the office, yet. I guess it would be okay to listen to it on the speakers.

  
She is always the first person to arrive in the office.

And her cubical has a door she can keep closed. She decides to chance not using the headphones she can’t locate, for now.

At least it is worth a shot if it means she can get this finished quickly.  
  
She starts playing the video link. God, how does the woman even get in that position.   
Five minutes later she is halfway through it, and the woman, Crystal, is at nearing her orgasm.

Crystal screams, “God, yes! God, yes! Fuck me harder, Mr. Big.”  
Felicity laughs at his name, ‘Mr. Big.’   
But it makes sense because he is huge.   
Now Mr. Big has her against the wall, and with just his strength is holding her up against that wall.   
His one hand is playing with her clit while his other hand is playing with her breasts.   
  
Felicity says, “Wow! She's had two orgasms and is already on her next one. And his strength. God!”   
  
Felicity didn't hear the door open.

She didn't see the man who came into her office. He has been watching her for the last three minutes itch a grin on his face.

He coughs and she turns around. “Shit,” Felicity says, and the red pen she was chewing drops to the floor.   
  
  
He picks it up and hands it to her and says, “Hi. My name is Oliver Queen.”  
  
Felicity stares, stunned. She can't really find words at the moment. Her boss’s son has just caught her watching porn.

  
“I wasn't watching that for pleasure,” Felicity started to babble, finally finding her words.

  
“I can do that at home, not during office hours. Not that you need to know if I watch porn at home. But I only watch it at work because I have to review files before I delete them.

And I was just amazed at how he was having sex with her against the wall, just like in one of my fantasies.”. She panics as can’t seem to stop her thoughts from being voiced. “I meant, in someone’s fantasies.

Could be anyone’s, really,” she trails off.  
  
He just smiles at her and says, “Felicity Smoak?”   
  
Before he can say anything, she cutting him off. “How can I help you Mr. Queen?”   
  
“Call me Ollie. Mr. Queen is my father.”   
  
She just watches him for a minute.

He's got long blonde hair, he’s clean-shaven, and is wearing a leather jacket that hugs him in all the right places. And,  
oh God, his smile.

She heard about that smile from the other women in the office, and how supposedly Oliver could get your panties can drop to the floor with that smile.

  
But she doesn't feel like it's the real Oliver Queen smile. She thinks this smile is a fake one.   
  
He coughs and she realizes she has gone into her mind. “Mr. Queen, how can I help you again?”   
  
“I spilled coffee on my laptop. I was hoping you could help me?”  
  
“Oh God. Poor baby!“ Felicity says grabbing for the laptop with her hands. She takes it from him so that she can look it over.

She thought that he would leave it with her and go, but he just took a seat and sat there watching her.

It doesn’t take Felicity long before she has the laptop cleaned up and working properly again.

She finishes and returns it to him saying, “Here is your laptop, Mr. Queen.”  
  
He takes it from her and bends down, whispering in her ear. “  
I like when you say my name like that.”

He pauses before continuing, “and I could definitely hold you against the wall like that while causing multiple orgasms.”

  
Before she can say anything she hears a man calling, “Ollie, come on. The models are waiting for us.   
He smiles, thanks her, and then leaves.   
  
God worst babble ever, Felicity thinks to herself.

She can’t believe she admitted one her fantasies out loud, and to Oliver Queen!

And he seemed more than willing to help her fulfill that fantasy.

God the stories are right he is just a playboy. But it seems as if she is already just a little bit taken with him! Crap!  
  
  
Three weeks later she sees Oliver at the park with a little girl who is crying.   
Oliver is kneeling down to the little girl, “Speedy, I said you’ve got be careful when you're running.”  
  
The  
  
little girl looks up with sad, green eyes and says, “I wanted to be like the other kids.”   
  
Oliver nods at her then says, “Speedy, do you want to go for ice cream?”  
  
  
The little girl’s face lights up. “Yes! But can I have three scoops of ice cream?”   
  
He smiles and then Felicity sees him kiss the little girl's hand and then tickle her.

“Okay. Come on.

  
I will get Raisa to make some cookies as well.”  
He picks her up and she snuggles into his shoulder, and Felicity in that moment thinks there is more to Oliver Queen that meets the eye.   
  
..........................(End of flashback) ..........................  
  
Felicity smiles at the memory. After that first visit, Oliver returned to her office with a lot more with requests.

Eventually he realized that his playboy act didn’t work with her and then they became friends.  
  
Oliver is away at the moment, so she knows that she won't be seeing him in the office today.

Ever since they called off their wedding, Oliver has been avoiding Isabel.

And she is often at QC, since she both lives and works here now, weirdly enough.

As a result, it means Oliver spends a lot time elsewhere.  
  
When he was with Isabel, he was good; he didn't cheat on her.

  
He was a completely different person.

But when she broke his heart a bit of Oliver was lost.

He had eventually fallen in love with her.

How could he not?

She seemed like she was perfect, even if Felicity never liked her.

He had even learned Russian for her! Seriously!

He had learned Russian, one of the hardest languages except maybe Arabic!

And Felicity suspects Oliver is fluent in Arabic, as well, after he broke the controls on his television and had to listen to everything in Arabic for four months.

That man is seriously technologically inept!  
  
She's pulled out of her memories by the elevator doors opening  
on her floor.

She makes her way to her office, liking that it's away from everybody else.

Also wonderful is the knowledge that Isabel would not be in today.

Thank God for that.   
  
Besides the whole Isabel thing, Oliver has other reasons for never being around.

Seeing your ex-girlfriend with your old friend is hard.

And they are married now.

She thinks of Gorgeous Laurel and Oliver was never really a good boyfriend to Laurel, but he was 18 and young and stupid.

He doesn't really speak to her anymore.   
  
Felicity turns her laptop on and her computers and starts getting into her work.

Before she knows it, the whole day has gone by and she's finished a lot of work, and gotten a lot of things done.

She had lunch with Diggle and she phoned her mom to see how her honeymoon went.

It's still weird knowing that she is related to Laurel, Oliver’s ex-girlfriend.

They are stepsisters now. It was a shock knowing that Quinton was dating her Mom.

But she's really happy for her mom.

Her mom deserves to find somebody who makes her happy.

Felicity just wishes that somebody could see her in romantic light.   
  
She has dated, but men don't like baggage and she has a lot of it.

She shakes her head at that thought. She's not going down that rabbit hole.   
  
Then there is Oliver, but they're so different.

And she's not sure she could really trust him.

She loves him as a friend, but sometimes it seems like so much more.

And yet his past makes her wary of him.

She's had her heart broken by two men she loved; her father and someone she does not want to get into.

She tries to not think about Cooper, but it's hard sometimes They spent a lot of time together.  
  
But getting back on the subject of Oliver,  
he's a gorgeous man who is a billionaire.

To him,she's just his best friend.

And she would be fine with that, she really thinks she could be.

But sometimes the way he speaks to her, what he says, the way he speaks her name, and even the way he laughs when she babbles, makes it hard for her to remember they are just friends.

And maybe she imagines for a moment that he sees her as more than just a friend.

And then there is the way he smiles at her; not his fake Oliver Queen smile.  
His real one.   
  
Shaking her head, she looks at the time.

Shit it's 6:30.

She stretches and thinks, I need a coffee.

Walking to the coffee machine she realizes how creepy the office feels when everybody's gone home.

She stands up and stretches for a bit, just sipping on the sweet coffee.

Oliver says that she is the only weirdo who puts sugar and cinnamon in it.   
He likes a black coffee.   
  
Felicity glances around and spots the security camera.

Since she befriended Mark in security on that first day, she knows that he keeps an eye out for her.

When she stays late she tries to let him know how long she plans on staying because she knows that he worries about her being safe and working too hard.

She smiles at the camera and indicates that she will be leaving in 15 minutes.

The camera nods so she knows Mark has understood her.   
  
Making her way back to her office she hears a noise.

It sounds like scratching.

She makes her way to the noise, knowing in the back of her mind that this might not be the smartest action.

Walking towards potential danger when you have no training?

That is not a good time to figure out if you can be a hero.

Carefully going past the offices she turns and screams.

It's the damn ginger cat someone tazered a while back! She needs to take a picture because Oliver does not believe her that there is a cat in the building.

She remembers what he said to her.

He said, “Felicity, this is a multi-billion dollar office building with excellent security. There is no way a cat would live in these offices.” She is going to win $500.

He said that if she sees it and got proof he will give that to her.

She is so excited and she quickly takes a picture of it.

She walks back with a smile on her face and a skip in her step.  
  
As she heads back towards her office, she can hear a noise coming from her inside her office.

Carefully looking inside, she notices the lights are turned off.

She attempts to turn the lights on but nothing happens.

She starts to get a little nervous at this point.

She softly calls out, “Hello,” but there's no answer.

She walks further into her office using the light on her phone but it only reveals her office and her stuff.

Apparently she her imagination is working overtime tonight trying to spook her.

She should really calm down.   
And  
she will need to talk to Jonathan the maintenance supervisor about the light in her office.  
  
She starts packing away her things for the evening when she hears a noise again, so she grabs the first object she can reach as she spins towards its source.  
But  
standing in the doorway is Oliver smiling.

He quirks his eyebrow as he questions, “Seriously? What do you think a stapler is going to do?”   
  
She lets out a breath. “God, Oliver, you need a bell.

Seriously, the only time I like being surprised is when it involves sex.

Not that I want you to surprise me with sex.

I mean, it may have crossed my mind, but not like this minute.”   
  
Oliver just laughs. “God I've missed you.”   
  
She quickly puts the stapler down and runs to hug him.

She barely can fit her arms around him but she's perfect fit under his neck.

Hopefully he doesn't notice that she breathes him in.

He smells like the woods, and sweat, and just Oliver.

She can't help it that tears seem to come out of her eyes.

She's got a new manager and a lot is riding on her getting this deal with Palmer closed.

And she has really missed him.   
  
Not many people see the real Oliver.

When she first met him she judged him.

She thought he was just a stupid playboy; that he was just given the keys to the castle with no knowledge or desire to be leader, but Oliver is actually an intelligent person.

She was reminded about how her grandma said she should never judge a book by its cover.

Oliver is a great example of that, and she is glad that she gets to see the real him.   
  
He tightened his grip on her. “I guess you've missed me.”   
  
“Oliver, you've been away for 8 months.

I've missed you so much.   
This is the longest we have been apart from each other.“  
  
He touches her chin with thumbs and looks her in eyes. “I'm back now and I'm not going anywhere.”

God she could get lost in his blue eyes.

She likes the scruff he didn't have that last time she saw him.

She can't help but run her fingers across his stubble.   
“Do you like it?” he asks.   
  
“Yes,” she states.

She really looks at him now and sees he's changed again.

He's got more muscles and his hair is cut short to his scalp.

She runs her fingers through his short hair. “But the serial killer look is gone,” she jokes.  
  
“I thought it was a good time for a change,” he said.   
  
“England looks like it changed you a lot,” Felicity says.  
  
“It has,” Oliver says with a big smile.   
  
She's never seen that smile on him before.   
She shakes her head. “Come on.

We can go have Big Belly Burger for dinner.”   
  
“God I've missed that. I have this place in England call Nando's.

You would like it. It’s like Big Belly Burger but with chicken,” Oliver says.   
“How is everybody else?”  
  
“Everybody else is fine. They have missed you.”   
  
“Can't wait to see them,” Oliver says with a big smile. “

It's been so long.

Did they like the chocolate's I sent them?”   
  
“Yes they did, and my mom loved the perfume you bought her, the Jo Malone.”  
  
“You said Quinton liked the badges I sent him.”  
  
She smiles and says, “Yes.

He said that even though you're his least favorite person, he really liked them because you got him a really rare one.”

Quinton had a thing about old war badges and Oliver got him a really rare one. “  
Oh and Diggle’s little girl said her first word.”  
  
“What is it?” Oliver asked.   
  
“Ollie,” she said with a smile.   
  
Oliver just started laughing while they're making their way to their cars. “  
Oh my God.

I bet Diggle was so angry.”  
  
“He didn’t understand since the only time she sees you is when you Skype.”  
  
“I bet Diggle wasn't happy about that.”   
  
“No. But then she said ‘Daddy’ after, and all was forgiven.”   
  
They make their way to Big Billy Burger.

They sit down their usual booth.

Carly, Diggle’s sister-in-law comes over and Oliver orders for Felicity.

They start chatting about Starling city stuff.  
  
Oliver asks in a tight voice, “So how's Cooper?”   
  
“He's fine. He's in central city at the moment, but   
he will be back in time for the weekend.

He is doing it as a favor for me.”   
  
“I seriously don't know what you saw in that man.”   
  
“Oliver I was married to him.

He was good, but then we just changed.

He wanted to focus on his career and it wasn't healthy him being around me when I could barely look at him.

But anyway,  
we've been divorced now for five years Oliver. You need to let it go.   
  
“I will. I will,” he said.  
  
“Anyway, how was London,” Felicity asked in a British accent.   
  
Oliver just laughed. “Oh my God, Felicity. That's the worst accent I have ever heard.”   
  
“We can't all be fluent in every language, Oliver."   
  
He put his hands out saying with a smile, “Okay.

I don't mean to offend you.”

He quickly got something out of his pocket and said, “Look. I got you a limited edition screwdriver from David Tennant and he signed it.”  
  
“Oliver you shouldn't have.   
That cost so much I bet.”  
  
“It's your birthday soon and I missed the last one.  
Please take it.”   
  
“Fine,” Felicity said with a smile.  
He knew her weakness was Doctor Who.  
  
Their burgers arrived and Oliver dug in straight away.

Felicity stole some of his chips and she started eating her burger.

He gave her some of his tomatoes and she gave him some of her bacon.   
  
Oliver was just watching her.

God, he has missed her.

If it was his choice she would have nothing to do with Cooper but she can't.

She says that they just drifted apart, but he knows Cooper cheated on her.

When thinks back on his younger days he is embarrassed, and realizes he was no better than Cooper.

He likes to think that he has changed for the better, but he doesn’t know if Felicity would agree.

Especially since he has a favor to ask of her, and he is fairly certain what he's going to ask her to do she will not like.

He’s so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t hear when  
Felicity asked him a question. “Pardon?”  
  
“There is a new Harry Potter movie out, and the theaters are showing all the films.

I know you've not seen any of them. It could be like a date.

  
Not that I am saying that we are going on a date.

I am just saying a date between two friends who will not have sex or kiss. ,   
Why is it assumed that all dates are romantic, like when you go out for a date on Valentine’s Day?

And that is holithat like m if they don’t have a date  
eat because i.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More things will come out about Cooper and the reason my Felicity doesn't talk bad about him.
> 
> And what could Oliver's favour be.


	3. Sara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out a bit what Oliver wants Felicity's help with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So updated again my beta is amazing . hugs to her Emily. :)  
> I hope everybody enjoys this chapter.

Oliver was just laughing. “Sorry you lost me when you said sex.” She smacked Oliver. "Ouch." 

She rolled her eyes. “Oliver I doubt that I even hurt you with all those muscles you’ve got. Come on.” 

“Oh, so you been checking me out,” he said very cheeky with a smile. 

“Come on. Keep on telling me about England.” 

Oliver said, “Well, I have something to tell you.” 

Felicity’s thoughts went straight to ‘You’re coming home, and you won't ever leave again, and you’d love to go on a date with me’.

Oliver said, “Sorry. What did you say?”

Realizing that she had said her thoughts aloud, Felicity tried to cover. “I said I'd love you to tell me.” 

Just because she had conflicting thoughts about her feelings regarding Oliver, didn’t mean that she needed him to know that. 

The last thing she wanted was to ruin their friendship, especially when her heart and her head were in a constant tug-o-war regarding what she really felt. 

And a moment later she was vindicated by her actions when Oliver spoke.

“Felicity, I'm in love,” he said. 

And Felicity’s heart broke in that moment. “Who is she?” she asked trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.

“She used to live in Central City but moved to England. 

She's so beautiful, Felicity. I'm in love with her.” 

“What does she do?” Felicity inquired, her voice strained. 

“She is at university,” he said in a quiet voice. 

“Sorry.” Felicity’s jaw dropped in shock. “I didn't hear you right. I thought you said she's at university?” Oliver face started to go bright red. “Is this a prank?” she questioned.

Oliver looked hurt for a moment and then said, “No it's not.” 

“What is she studying Oliver?” 

“She studying to have her own gym and become a fitness instructor.” 

“How old is she?” Felicity was thinking, ‘Please don't be 23. Please be over 27 or even older’. She looked at Oliver. He was so uncomfortable.

“She's 22.” 

Felicities choked on her drink, spitting it all over Oliver’s face and suit. “That’s over twelve years between you. What did your mom say? Or Tommy? Or even your sister?”

“Tommy says I've done well. That she's fucking hot! I haven't told my sister yet. 

She would pester me too much about her. 

And you know my mom is only interested in me dating Laurel and that's never going to happen. 

But there's a bit of a problem,” he said, but not bothering to explain or say anything further on the matter. 

Felicity was looking at him and knew he was going to ask her to do something. 

As they were finishing up their meal and paying, Felicity could feel Oliver’s nervousness grow. 

They were making their way to her car when Felicity decided she was done waiting for Oliver to say what was on his mind. “What is it Oliver? What is it that you aren’t telling me?

“It's just for a day,” he pleaded. “I just need you to be my ex-wife for a day.” 

“What?” She had thought she was shocked to find out Oliver was in love, and with someone twelve years his junior.

Now she was downright flabbergasted and confused. 

“Why? What possible reason could you need me to pretend to be your ex-wife for, Oliver? There is no way I'm going to do this,” Felicity all but shouted at him. 

She wouldn’t do this. 

She couldn’t do this. Not when this touched too close to her heart. 

When he didn’t say anything right away, Felicity continued, “Wait. 

Is this about this girl you’re in love with? 

Does she think you have a wife? 

If so, why would she possibly think that?” Felicity demanded. 

\---------------(Flashback England 4 months ago) ----------

Oliver was at a bar again. 

His work was getting to him, and he wanted to just to have some fun, have sex with a pretty lady, and forget her name the next day. 

He wants to stop thinking of Isabel, and how sad he feels that she really fucked him over in every way. 

( Flashback Isabel and Oliver's wedding ). 

Oliver was so nervous. 

He couldn't believe he was finally settling down with a beautiful woman. 

It may have started out as an arranged marriage but he had come to love her. 

He hears a knock at the door and he says, “Come in.” It’s Felicity and she looks beautiful. 

She's in a tight red dress that hugs her figure perfectly, with her hair in a coif that allowed her hair to drape down to her shoulders. 

She's wearing the earrings he bought her for her birthday and he smiles. 

She asks, “So, are you nervous?” And he says, “Yes. I'm really nervous.” 

“Well I was nervous for my wedding as well.” 

He smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s not helping Felicity.” 

“Shit. I didn't mean that I think your marriage is going to end like mine just because you are nervous. 

My grandma was nervous for her wedding and she's been married to my grandad for 50 years. 

Anyway I better go and check on my date.”

Oliver smiled and asked through gritted teeth, “How is Barry?”

“I don't know why you don't like him. He's really nice.” 

Oliver thinks, ‘Because he's in love with Iris, that's why Felicity’, but he didn't say it to his best friend. It's been two years and she's finally dating now. 

“Anyway I've got ago.” She kisses him on the cheek and leaves. 

He didn't see the back of her dress until she turned around and it was breathtaking. There was really no back. 

He shakes his head and thinks he needs to see Isabel. 

He wants to give her the gift he bought for her. 

It's an engraved wedding band that says ‘true partner.’ 

He makes his way to her room and he can hear noises. 

“Oh God, fuck me Slade, you're so good.”

He can hear his best friend asking, “Am I better than Oliver?”

“Yes. You are definitely better than him. 

He makes love to me. He doesn't fuck me.”

“Am I better than his dad, as well?” Slade asks 

“Yes, you are. You give me what I want.” And she screams out his name. 

Oliver is just standing there listening. 

He can't move. 

He’s frozen like a statue. 

“So the plan is that you will marry him and then kill him. 

Does he still think you're pregnant?” Slade inquires. 

“Yes. I had to do something. I thought he was going to leave me for Felicity. 

But I found her weakness and that was Cooper. 

He was so easy to get in my bed. 

He told me everything about her all her secrets. 

Who it is she loves...” 

Oliver couldn't hear any more. 

The person he loved was cheating on him and now they're trying to hurt Felicity. 

He couldn't help it but tears started to form in his eyes. 

He couldn't believe he was so blind. 

She never loved him, and the baby was all a fake. 

And his relationship with Felicity has been put on a shelf because of Isabel. 

He ran and got into his car to drive anywhere, be anywhere but here, and went to a bar. 

And that's where it all began. 

He shakes his head. 

He doesn't want to be thinking about Isabel. 

He sees a woman with a Doctor Who T-shirt and he smiles thinking of Felicity. 

And he's missing Felicity so much. 

He hasn't seen her in five months. 

A beautiful young woman came and sat next to him, and knocked his drink over.

“Oh my God,” she says, “I'm so sorry.” 

He drew his gaze over her, taking in how beautiful she looked. She had blonde hair and blue eyes. And her breasts. 

God they were a perfect pair of breasts. 

They chatted for a while, and then he asked with his Oliver Queen smile, “Would you like to go back to my house?” 

There is no way she would want to come back with him. 

She looked like she was 20. 

The youngest he dated or slept with recently was 26. 

She said, “Yes. I'd love to come back to your house.” 

They didn't even make it into the lift before she was tearing his clothes off and he was pulling her dress up. 

She made quick work of his belt and he made quick work of her panties. She pulled his boxes down and gaped, “Fuck you're so big.”

He placed his fingers at her entrance. “You're so wet.”

She let out a little whimper.

“Ollie, fuck me right now. I need you inside me right now.” 

He dug out the condom in his pocket. 

He ripped off the condom packaging and rolled it on his cock. 

He stroked himself a couple of times and lined up with her entrance. 

He immediately plunged into her and made quick work of getting her to her first orgasm of the night. 

\----------------(End Flashback)---------------

“Oliver. You don't need to tell me that you fucked her in a lift.

I don't understand how this has anything to do with me pretending to be your ex-wife or wife.”

“Sorry. You don't really need to know that but something happened a week before I was coming back home. 

 

I was dating her for 3 months and then she found…well…I will explain it to you.” 

“Why didn't you tell me that you are with somebody?” Felicity asked, the hurt clear in her voice. 

Oliver didn't notice that she had tears in her eyes and her voice caught on the last bit. 

“Honestly, I thought it wasn’t going to be anything, so I didn't want to tell you or anybody. 

 

And the reason was we were at this party and it got boring so we went away from it and yes so we did some things on the beach.


	4. Please Just go with it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We find out Oliver want Felicity to do in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We find out Oliver want Felicity to do in this chapter. I hope everybody is enjoying this and Oliver is going to seem bit of a dick or asshole in these couple of chapters. but he will find his way back to the person Felicity knows he is. So enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> Thank you to my amazing Beta. :)

And this chapter starts at Oliver flashback .

 

.....................................(Flashback to the Beach)...................................

Oliver lay there watching her. Sara’s body was like a work of art. 

And she was insatiable. 

She wanted to have sex all the time. 

In fact, they had just finished having sex on the beach. 

As she began redressing, putting on her bra, she glanced over her shoulder at him asking, “What time is it? 

I need to be heading home.

Feeling wiped out from their recent activities, Oliver lifted his arm and gestured lazily, “My watch is over in my pants pocket.”

She made her way over to his trousers and started to rifle through the pockets locking for his watch, when she felt something small and metallic. 

Pulling the object out, she looked at it, and her expression turned angry. 

Throwing the item at Oliver she yelled, “What the fuck is this? A wedding band?”

Sitting up swiftly, Oliver began, “Sara, it’s not what it looks like.”

Sara stood up quickly, and turned to face Oliver, her face a mixture of hurt and anger. 

“I don’t date married men,” she spat out.

“My aunt was cheated on and I would never do that to someone else. 

I won’t be the reason a family breaks up.”

 

.........................................(Present Day)......................................................

 

Felicity stood there confused. 

“Oliver. I still don’t understand how this has anything to do with me. 

And I thought you got rid of that wedding ring after everything with Isabel.”

 

Oliver started to fidget, looking embarrassed. 

“You see women have this thing about a man with a wedding ring on…”

“Oh my God, Oliver,” Felicity said, shocked. 

“That’s so bad. What. Did. You. Do?” 

She wasn’t sure she wanted Oliver to confirm what she already suspected. 

She knows that Isabel messed him up, but with what she was beginning to see, it seemed as is Oliver had slipped back into the bad habits that she had so despised of when she had first met him.

 

“Well…there were a few things I would normally say to them.”

With a voice that indicated she expected nothing but the truth, Felicity demanded, “And what do you normally say to these women?”

 

“It started after everything with Isabel. 

I went to a bar and there was this woman who was getting hit on by a lot of men. 

After the men left, I went over to her to say ‘Hi’ and she nearly bit my head off! 

I started to explain to her that she had forgotten her purse when she noticed that I had the wedding ring on. 

Apparently I had been fiddling with it and it drew her attention. 

Anyway, once she noticed my wedding ring, she seemed a lot more interested in me, like physically interested in me,” Oliver admitted. 

“We talked for a while before she asked me why I wasn’t with my wife. 

I didn’t bother to correct her that I wasn’t actually married. 

I just told her that my wife had cheated on me with a friend, and it spiraled from there. 

I realized that I could pick up women, sleep with them, and leave them a note in the morning saying that I wanted to work on my marriage. 

They wouldn’t bother to contact me because they knew I was married.”

“Oliver, that’s terrible! So, what? 

You just pretended to be married to get into these women’s pants?”

“Yes,” Oliver admitted sheepishly.

“And, unfortunately, now this involves you.”

“See, Oliver, that’s the part I don’t quite understand. 

Why do you need me to be your wife? 

Or ex-wife?” Felicity asked him, confusion all over her face.

Oliver looked really uncomfortable during this whole conversation.

“Well, you see, you text me all the time, and I have a picture of you saved for your contact. 

Sara saw the picture and asked me if you were my wife, and I said yes.”

“Oliver! I can’t believe you would do that! 

I can’t pretend to be your wife. 

There is no way I am going to get involved in this. 

This is wrong in so many ways.”

“Fe-li-ci-ty,” Oliver pleaded with her. “Look. I would have gotten any other person, but Sara saw your picture, you know that one with you in the golden dress you wore to the QC gala.

If she hadn’t seen your picture, I would have picked anyone else. 

After I told her you were my wife, she took my phone and started to look through it. 

Apparently, I have a lot of photos of you, including ones from our trip to Bali.”

Felicity was gob-smacked

. “Seriously, Oliver? This isn’t the right way to go about this. 

For one, lying in the first place, and two, dragging me into this lie.”

“What I need is someone who knows how to lie,” Oliver tried. 

At the glare he received from Felicity, he tried changing tactics.

“Felicity, if you did this, I would get you that laptop you want, and I would pay to send you on a vacation, any vacation you want.”

Not letting Oliver derail the conversation, Felicity pointed out, her frustration and anger building, “You love this girl, you say? 

Lying isn’t the way to build your relationship. 

I would have thought you would have learned that by now after that whole disaster with Isabel, not to mention all the other examples we have in our lives. 

AND I don’t like the idea of being a part of a lie to someone that you are trying to convince me that you love. 

And you say this is just for a day, but what happens when she sees me around you at your house, or anywhere for that matter? 

We are supposed to be best friends. 

That means we see each other all the time, and this is a lie that isn’t just going to disappear!”

“I don’t know, Felicity,” Oliver sighed.

“But I need you to help me. 

She will be coming over in three months.”

“What exactly did you tell her to get her to believe that I was your wife? 

How did you convince her you were telling the truth?” 

Felicity pointed out, looking for anything she could to convince Oliver this was a bad idea.

Oliver clarified, “I went to her house and explained that you were leaving me for another man. 

That you were very demanding and high maintenance. 

Oh, and you didn’t like the fact that I worked a lot.”

Felicity momentarily forgot what point she was trying to make. 

Exasperated and a bit offended, Felicity snapped, “So, I cheated on you and I’m high maintenance? 

You’re making me sound like a complete bitch! Why the hell would I want to do this? Even if I was willing to lie.”

Not willing to give up, Oliver continued to try to convince Felicity. 

“Look. You name it, it’s yours. 

New clothes, or new tech, if that is what you want. Anything. 

"Please Just go with it."

”I really need you to do this for me.”

\---------------------------- ( 3 months later ) ---------------------------------

 

Oliver was desperate. 

He had been trying to beg, plead, and bribe Felicity into helping him. 

Anything he could think of, he had tried it, but nothing was working.

“Please, Felicity,” Oliver implored over the phone. 

“You can’t do this to me! Sara will be arriving in two days.”

“You should have thought of that before you lied to her, Oliver,” Felicity spoke, not hiding her irritation as Oliver once again tried to convince her to lie for him. 

“I’m not doing this. It’s not right!”

“Please. For me,” Oliver begged.

“Tell. Her. The. Truth,” Felicity stated pointedly.

Oliver changed tactics and softened his voice. 

“Please? I can still get you an entire new wardrobe. 

We can get you higher quality clothes. 

Something to upgrade what you have.”

“No. Oliver.” Felicity tried to maintain her resolve. 

She didn’t want Oliver dragging her into this lie. 

“I’m not doing this. 

She really should know the truth.”

“Look. I was going to tell her. 

I started to tell her, but the stuff happened, and…I just couldn’t,” Oliver confessed.  
Felicity just wasn’t sure what was going on with Oliver. 

She figured that because he had been hurt by someone that he would never want to do that to someone else, but it seems as if Oliver still had some growing up to do. 

Not really sure that Oliver would let up until she agreed, Felicity sighed exasperatingly. 

“Fine,” she said. 

Then something else about what Oliver said caught up with her. “Hey. 

What’s wrong with my clothes?” she asked as she looked down at her cardigan and pencil skirt.

Grimacing, Oliver explained, “The picture I have for your contact photo is that one of you from when we were at the gala and you were wearing that gold dress. 

It was a lot fancier than what you typically wear.”

“Are you saying that my clothes aren’t good enough for you?” Felicity spoke, signs of offence clearly coming out in her tone. 

“No,” Oliver tried to insist. “It’s just that I want my ex-wife to look hot.”

Felicity mouth dropped and she momentarily found herself speechless. 

Sometimes she wonders if Oliver hears what comes out of his mouth. 

And then there is her. 

She can’t believe she is considering doing this to this young girl. 

Is she horrible to even consider it? 

Thinking back on what happened with her and Cooper, she couldn’t stand that he was even texting another woman. 

They had so many other issues at the time, and their marriage was already falling apart, but knowing that Cooper was texting another woman just seemed to add insult to injury. 

They had had a fairly civil divorce considering that they were together eight years and it was only in that final year that it seemed like things began to crack and drift apart. 

They had fallen out of love with each other, but it was Cooper’s texting another woman that made Felicity realize that they weren’t good for each other. 

It still hurts just thinking about it. 

She might never have met Oliver and his friends, or made new friends like Diggle and Roy . 

Her mother would never have met Quinton. 

Is her friendship with Oliver reason enough to do this to another woman? Is she really considering this? 

Shaking her head, Felicity thinks that, no, she really shouldn’t do this. 

Not wanting to continue the same argument over the phone she figures she can always try to convince him again tomorrow when he comes over to let him know that she is not willing to do this for him. 

She probably should just try convince him that the best thing is for him to tell the truth to this girl, Sara.


	5. Shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi I hope everybody enjoys this chapter I have to say thank you to my beta. I have to say this if you don't enjoy my story but you don't like it don't comment just move on. I don't need to know that you don't like it. But I have to say thank you to people who do comment and it's always positive it really helps me write more . Be dyslexic I never thought I'd ever be up to write stories . With technology helping me and Speak into my phone and then it writes it for me and having a amazing beta . It means a lot when I get a nice comment. Anyway Oliver will grow up in the story and realise that he's been blind to what's in front of him. And has had feelings for certain person for a long time. I will show you that Oliver is a good person by flashbacks and present-day. If you want to talk about the show you can find me on my Twitter. And just to see if anybody is interested I need a beta for my second chances story . Sadly if I don't get one this story will probably not happen anymore. If somebody is interested and just let me know. 
> 
> Anyway enjoy this chapter and pictures to go with it as well.

pictures

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/840689933551558656>

 

 Snapping back to the conversation, Felicity retorts, “Are you saying that I’m not hot enough?”

“No,” Oliver tries to backpedal.

“But in that picture I took of you, you were extremely hot, and I think Sara might expect you to look like that all the time, so I figured…”

Oliver trailed off realizing he was only digging a deeper hole.

 

Felicity figures that there had to have been a compliment in there somewhere, and decides to drop the conversation for now.

“Goodbye Oliver.

I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Hanging up, Felicity begins to pace around her house.

She keeps thinking that this is a really big mistake agreeing to this ruse, and that she really should say something more to Oliver to try to convince him of this.

Pretending to be Oliver’s ex-wife seems to fall pretty high up on the list of things that she shouldn’t do, but here she is considering going along with this really bad idea.

Climbing into bed, Felicity decides to not think about it too much, and hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

At least she could spend the day with Oliver, and maybe get some new clothes out of it for all the harassment he had been giving her.  
\--------------  
Felicity was pacing nervously while waiting for Oliver to arrive.

She hadn’t slept well last night knowing that she had agreed to help Oliver lie.

She was hoping to use her time with him to convince him that the best option was for him to come clean with Sara.

Oliver was late, as usual when he rolled up in his Bentley.

Felicity had decided to dress casually in her most comfortable cardigan, which was oversized and had a few stains on it.

She had paired it with a pair of ratty jeans.

Felicity was feeling a bit self-conscious and under-dressed next Oliver, who looked extremely hot in his leather jacket.

Stepping over to Felicity, Oliver leaned in to give her a kiss on the cheek before handing her a cup of coffee.

 

“You’re late,” Felicity stated sternly, before taking on a more playful tone.

“But I will forgive you because you brought coffee.”

 

“So,” Oliver hedged, “Thea gave me a list of shops where she suggested I should take you.”

Felicity interrupted, “Wait.

So Thea knows?

You dragged your sister into this lie that I think is a big mistake in the first place?”

No time like the present to try and get it through Oliver’s thick skull how terrible she thought this idea was.

With enough time maybe their day together could accomplish something.

 

Oliver just smiled at her and stated, “This is my little sister.”

He was not about to tell Felicity that Thea had loved the idea of Felicity being her sister-in-law, and that Thea was extremely invested in his and Felicity’s relationship.

She had said something about ‘shipping Olicity?’.

He shook his head of the thoughts, and spoke, “She gave me some really good places that I should take you.”

Oliver could tell that Felicity wanted to back out of this deal, and was hoping that this shopping trip would be chance to get her on board.

To make her see that it wasn’t a big deal or a big commitment on her end.

 

And Oliver wasn’t kidding about the shops being really nice.

This first shop they went to was a little boutique that specialized in beautiful handmade bags.

Felicity spotted a read one with flowers all over it and picked it up.

The price tag indicated the purse was $2000!  
Oliver followed Felicity over, and asked,

“Do you like that purse?”

 

“It’s beautiful,” Felicity confessed, “but it is $2000!”

“Get it. It’s on me,” said Oliver.

Incredulous, Felicity turned to Oliver with a pointed look, “Oliver, you can’t afford this, remember?

Moira cut you off!”  
“It’s fine Felicity.

Get it.” He took the bag from her and gave it to the shopkeeper to wrap up while he paid.

With Oliver buying her things, she was starting to feel like she was being forced into this ruse.

How was she going to get Oliver to tell the truth when he was so committed to this lie?

And he was dragging her right along with him!  
“Oliver.” Felicity needed to put her foot down.

She did not need to have him guilt her into this.

“I can’t let you buy this for me.

I know that yesterday I agreed to pose as your ex-wife, but this isn’t right.

And since I don’t want to do this, I don’t think it would be right for me to let you buy me stuff, okay?”

She needed to be strong on this point, but she was having a hard time looking Oliver in the eye right now.

She knew she was letting him down, but he needed to know where she stood and that he couldn’t bribe her into doing this.

 

“Hey.

Felicity” Oliver caught her arm trying to get him to look her in the eyes.

“This really isn’t as big a deal as you are making it out to be.”

“No, Oliver,” Felicity was adamant, “this is a big deal! Do you remember all the things that Cooper and I went through before we split?

How awful I felt because of how he treated me?

I can’t do that to someone else.

And what about what Isabel did to you?” Felicity was trying not to raise her voice.

“And if you really care about Sara, you won’t do this to her either!”

 

Oliver held his hands up as if in surrender.

“Okay. Okay.

I’ll try to figure something out.”

Oliver was still hoping that he could convince Felicity to back him up on this, but he realized it might be a little harder than he thought.

He was going to have to find some way to get her to agree to this.

“But you should still let me buy this for you.”  
Guilt could work, right? “What’s the point of having a rich best friend if I can’t buy you stuff?”

Felicity eyed Oliver suspiciously.

“Why?” she drawled out slowly.

“Can’t I just get something nice for my best friend?

I realize I was gone for a long time, and we haven’t spent much time together since I got back, so I would really like to spend the day with you still, and to start, I would like to buy my best friend this fantastic purse that she really likes.”

Oliver may have been laying it on a little thick, but it couldn’t hurt to try flattery, right?

Over the next few hours, Oliver continued to let Felicity know that this wasn’t that big a deal.

That she wouldn’t be interacting with Sara more than just briefly, so she wouldn’t have to keep the ruse up for very long.

She just needed to look pretty (At that comment Felicity glared at him.), chit chat with Sara for a little bit, and then she would never have to be involved again with any of this.

He just needed her to stand in until he could figure out how to straighten out the mess with Sara.

He thought he was wearing her down, as Felicity wasn’t objecting anymore. They were having fun spending time together, and Felicity was benefiting from Oliver’s generosity.

Or bribery.

Either worked for him.

Three hours later they found themselves in Cartier.

Oliver asked Felicity to stay put and look around while he spoke to the manager.

Felicity looked around the store and spotted a beautiful diamond necklace with no price tag on it.

I could probably buy a house for the cost of that necklace, she thought.

Next she noticed a beautiful watch. It was an old-fashioned style with diamonds all around the face.

 

One of the store clerks noticed her interest and came over to ask, “Can I help you?”

“Oh, no,” Felicity stated. “I’m just looking.”

“But are with Mr. Queen?” the clerk clarified.

“He said that I should get you whatever you wanted.”

Felicity raised her eyebrows at that but decided that she would try on the watch, even if it was just for fun.

Oliver’s name certainly allowed her to do things she would never get to try on her own.

Rolling her wrist over, admiring the way it looked on her and how the diamonds sparkled, Felicity absent-mindedly asked, “How much is it?”

“Give me a minute,” the man said, as he looked up the item on his computer. “That watch is $25,900.”

Just then Oliver came out and commented, “That’s a nice watch.”

“Oh. I was just looking at it,” Felicity insisted.

Just then Thea came into the shop.

“I brought you what you wanted, big brother!”

“Thanks, Speedy.”

“Hey.

That’s a really beautiful watch,” Thea said to Felicity.

Turning back to her brother, she said, “I think I’m going to tag along and help you pick out some outfits for Felicity.”

With a big smile on her face she added, “And I love spending my brother’s money.”

“Okay, Speedy,” Oliver said, shaking his head.

He then looked to Felicity, and with shaking hands he pulled out the box that Thea and brought him and opened it to expose a ring inside.

As he took it out to show Felicity, he could hear Thea’s sharp intake of breath.

Thea could not believe that Oliver was going to give Felicity their grandmother’s ring.

Even when he was engaged to Isabel, he never gave her any of the family jewelry.

Thea sees all the signs, but figures her brother is too stupid to realize that he has feelings for Felicity.

Maybe this fake marriage could bring them together.

Thea is brought back by Felicity saying, “I can’t wear that!” with a look of shock on her face.

“And I thought we agreed that I wasn’t going to participate in this lie, anyway.

So why do you have that ring?”

“No. You decided you didn’t want back me up on this thing with Sara,” Oliver pointed out.

“Besides, I had already asked Thea to bring me this ring before you changed your mind this morning.”

 

Technically that was true, but he could have called Thea and told her to leave the ring at home.

He was still hoping that maybe he could get Felicity to change her mind.

And what better way than to get her to try the ring on.

If she saw how it looked…?

 

“Why don’t you try it on?

See how this is no big deal.

You put the rings on, hang out with Sara for a bit, take the rings off, you’re done.

Nothing to it.”

Felicity was feeling torn.

Oliver made it sound so simple and like it was no big deal.

It would be so easy to take just a few minutes to pretend and then be done with it.

While she didn’t condone lying to Sara, the lie had already been told, and it was technically Oliver’s mess to deal with.

Felicity wasn’t responsible for fixing Oliver’s shortcomings.

Still, Felicity didn’t want to encourage Oliver’s bad decisions.

But she was his friend, and was he asking that much of her?

The ring had a large square diamond in the center flanked by two smaller diamonds.

Inscribed on the ring was the phrase ‘Always and Forever’.

Oliver brought out a second box that contained another diamond ring, this one completely encircled in diamonds.

“Wow, Oliver.

These are beautiful.

Where are they from?” Felicity asked.

“These belonged to my great grandmother.

She left them to me.

I had forgotten about them.

I remembered them after our conversation yesterday.

I want you to wear them,” Oliver said with a softness to his tone that Felicity didn’t hear very often.

“Oliver, these are beautiful, but you should be giving these to the person you are actually going to marry,” Felicity pointed out.

Taking the rings out of the boxes, Oliver stated, “I am,” and then he slipped the rings on her finger.

Finding herself speechless again, Felicity just stared at the rings on her finger.

She wondered if Oliver realized exactly what he had just declared to her before placing the rings on her hand.

He was doing all of this for this girl, Sara, whom he claimed to be in love with, yet he just essentially told her that he was going to marry her, Felicity.

He obviously couldn’t have meant it that way.

He meant in terms of this ruse.

Felicity just shook her head and decided to leave that comment alone.

If she looked to closely at it, her heart might end up getting hurt in the process.

“I don’t know about this Oliver,” Felicity hesitated gazing at the dazzling jewelry on her finger.

“Please, Felicity,” Oliver pressed. “At least wear the rings while you consider it.

See how easy this is to just play the part for a few moments.”

 

 

After Oliver insisted on buying her the watch, too, all three of them headed out to continue their shopping.

Oliver considered it a won that Felicity was still wearing the rings when they left the store.

The next shop they found themselves in specialized in handbags and shoes.

By this time, Oliver was tired of shopping and it was beginning to show in his attitude.

“Oh look,” Thea whispered to Felicity regarding Oliver, “here comes Mr.

Grumpy Cat.”

“Why do you need so many pairs of shoes?

Isn’t one enough?” Oliver complained.

Looking at him incredulously, Thea remarked, “Like you don’t have loads of custom bows and arrows made, big brother!”

“Speedy,” Oliver said with annoyance in his voice.

 

“Well. It’s true,” Thea retorted as she dropped down into the seat next to him.

 

Oliver was watching Felicity as she looked at the various shoes and commented, “Felicity, you have already bought six pairs of shoes.

I am sure you couldn’t possibly need anymore.”  
Ignoring Oliver, Felicity walked over to the mirror, admiring the shoes.

These are so comfortable, and wow, do they make my legs look longer!” Felicity thought.

“And, yes, the shoes look nice, but you already have so many other pairs, and these are just like those other ones you just tried on,” Oliver indicated, his irritation and confusion at the need for so many shoes clearly evident in his tone.

At that comment, the store clerk glared at Oliver, telling him, “You can never have too many pairs of shoes!

“Amen to that!” Thea chimed in.

“How much are these shoes?”

Felicity inquired.  
“Eighteen hundred dollars,” the store clerk announced after looking up the price.  
“What?

Do you come with these shoes?”

Oliver quipped at the clerk.

Then turning back to Felicity he stated, “You really don’t need another pair.”

When Felicity started to interrupt him, he cut her off, “No, Felicity.

I went along with all the other shoes and I was okay with it, but this is getting ridiculous!”

“That’s okay,” Felicity smiled wickedly.

“I won’t be needing them anyway.

I don’t think I will be able to make it out tomorrow to meet Sara anyhow.”

Okay.

So she hadn’t actually agreed (re-agreed?)

to meet up with Sara, but Oliver was being a wet blanket when this whole shopping trip had been his idea in the first place.

She loved shoes and these shoes looked awesome on her.

If Oliver hadn’t wanted to spend the money, then he shouldn’t have offered in the first place.

She knew he was trying to bribe he into consenting.

Two could play this game!

Realizing he was being played, Oliver took out his wallet and handed his card to the store clerk.

“Fine, but consider this your Christmas present,” he said tersely.

 

“Well, in that case, I’d like them in blue, too,” said Felicity with an innocently looking grin on her face.

You know, in case the heel breaks.”

“You know, I never thought I would meet anyone who could shop as much as Speedy,” Oliver sighed.

“Hey. I’m standing right here!” Thea responded in mock offense.

“And Felicity, I happen to know that those shoes come in green, as well.” Thea smiled wickedly at her brother.

This is going to be a long day, Oliver thought.

Oliver was starting to wonder if all this shopping was really worth the effort, but then he remembered why he was doing this.

He pictured Sara in his mind and decided that it really was worth it.

“How is it you can shop this much but you refuse to exercise with me when I go to the park?” Oliver teased Felicity.

“Oliver Queen! Are you calling me fat?” Felicity taunted.

“No but…” Oliver stumbled trying to stop from making this worse.

Smiling wickedly, Felicity continued, “And that is why we are getting a divorce, Hun.

Because we are too different, now.” He was right.

This was easy! Easy to harass Oliver.

She could definitely get on board with this part of being his ex-wife!

“Yeah,” Oliver muttered, “because you’re a shopaholic. And that isn’t even your worst problem.

You and that strange addiction to buying alien stuff.”

“Oliver. Jonas. Queen!” Felicity yelled, eyes wide in shock.

“That was supposed to be a secret!”

The moment the words were out of his mouth Oliver knew he was in trouble.

Felicity had this weird belief in aliens; as in extraterrestrial aliens.

She even belonged to a club. It was a thing she and Cooper used to do together, but she continued with it even after they split up.

Oliver was aware of this but had been sworn to secrecy, as Felicity was sensitive about people mocking her for her belief.

He turned to Thea and all but begged, “Please don’t say anything or she will get angry with both of us.”

“I won’t say anything,” Thea agreed.

Oliver face Felicity to apologize, “I am so sorry…” but he was cut off by the store clerk who winked at Felicity, “You know, I just remembered, we have these shoes in other colors, and we even have matching handbags. I think you might need them,” she said knowingly.

“Why thank you, Amy!” Felicity said cheerfully.

As Felicity and the clerk walked off, Oliver muttered, “I see how it is with you women sticking together.”

“The sooner you realized that big brother, the easier your life will be,” Thea quipped.

Oliver groaned, then followed the ladies to the counter to collect all their purchases.

The continued shopping at every store that Thea had recommended, from Gucci, to Chanel to Celine.

Felicity tried on dress after beautiful dress.

There was a gorgeous red one, and then a silver one that Felicity refused to show Oliver because it was too sexy.

All the while, Oliver was left toting all of their purchases around.

Felicity had thought she had liked shopping before, but shopping with Thea Queen was a whole new experience.

Thea was fantastic in every shop that they went into.

She seemed to know exactly what Felicity would look good in, and every dress she tried fit her exquisitely.

She didn’t even feel bad for dragging Oliver around to all the different stores.

After all, it was his fault.

He was the one who wanted to buy her a whole new wardrobe!

Thea pulled them into a lingerie shop, telling Felicity she needed to get new lingerie.

“What do you mean?” Felicity frowned.

“I mean,” Thea pressed, “your breasts don’t say ‘hello’. They say ‘I’m sad’.”

Thea kept picking up different sets of sexy lingerie, indicating that Felicity should try them on.

Soon, Oliver joined in, selecting pieces he thought Felicity should try.

Then he started teasing Felicity about edible underwear.

“I think it could come in very handy,” Oliver said with a wink.

“I can get very hungry.”

“Oh, gross, Oliver. That’s disgusting.

I don’t need to hear about your sexual activities” Thea shuddered, but then continued, “but I think I might get a pair for Roy and I.”

Oliver turned white as a sheet, and Felicity smirked, “It’s not so nice hearing about your sibling’s sex life, is it?”

“Nope. I don’t ever want to talk about that again.”

Oliver cringed to think about his baby sister being an adult and doing adult things.

In his mind she was still a little girl that liked My Little Pony.

Turning his thoughts back to what they were shopping for, Oliver noticed that Felicity had picked out a really dark read bra that would barely cover her breasts.

She was going on about how she could wear it for her date with Ray. Ugh, Ray, Oliver thought.

Felicity had mentioned that Ray had been asking her out for a while, and she had finally agreed last night to go out with him.

Leaning over, Oliver growled in Felicity’s ear, “That is for me.”

Felicity jumped, then looked at Oliver, “Oh my gosh, Oliver! You need a bell! And this is for my date with Ray!”

Thea sat back watching Oliver and Felicity go on about Felicity’s date with Ray.

“So you’re going out with Creepy Eyes?” Oliver mocked.

“Oliver,” Felicity snipped, “Ray does not have creepy eyes!”

Ignoring Felicity’s comment, Oliver continued, “So I guess you are thinking that your date might end up in the bedroom?” Oliver wiggled his eyebrows.

“I certainly wouldn’t object,” Felicity indicated.

“I haven’t had sex in ages. And you’ve seen him.

He is handsome and very fit.”  
“He looks like a Ken doll,” Oliver huffed.

“Well, I think he looks like Superman,” Felicity retorted.

“And just what do you think that I look like?” Oliver inquired curiously.

 

“I think you look like Robin Hood or the Green Arrow,” Felicity decided.

“I could really see you in that tight leather with the green paint on your face.”

Felicity paused for a moment and then inquired of Oliver, “Who would I be?”

“Well,” Oliver stopped a moment to think about his answer, “you would be my partner.”

“That’s not a superhero or job, Oliver,” Felicity objected.

“Okay, then. You’d be my IT girl, then.”

Interrupting the conversation, Thea steered it back to Felicity’s date with Ray.

“Well, I think Ray is hot. And you should definitely that red dress we bought with this red lingerie underneath.”

The trio finished up their shopping and headed back to the car.

It had been a long day and Oliver still needed to take Felicity home.

When they arrived at Felicity’s home, Oliver got out of the car and walked around to open her door for her.

“I had a really nice time today, Felicity.

I am sorry I got a bit annoying there for a while.”

“Thanks.

I had a nice day, too,” Felicity said and smiled at him.

Oliver leaned in a gave Felicity a kiss on the cheek before she turned and headed into her home.

As Oliver turned back to get in his car, he pulled out his phone and noticed a message from his grandmother.

Apparently she found out that he had removed an engagement ring from the vault for Felicity.

Dammit, Speedy! Oliver thought.

Oliver was not going to admit to anyone that when his grandmother had found out he had given the ring to Felicity, she had said that she was excited that he had finally gotten his head out of his ass and was going to marry that beautiful woman.

And she was ecstatic about all the beautiful great-grandbabies she was going to have.

Oliver really loved his grandmother, and he knew that his grandmother really loved Felicity.  
\----------  
The next day when Oliver met Sara at the hotel, he was extremely nervous.

Sara was looking beautiful in her dark blue dress and she was wearing her hair down, but Oliver was hardly focused on that at the moment.

 

“You seem really nervous, Oliver,” Sara noted. “I’m not sure why.

Your ex-wife sounds like she is quite nice.”

 

“Yeah, well, she can be really crazy sometimes, too.”

Oliver continued to shift about, not sure what to expect when Felicity and Sara would meet each other.

“What does she look like again?” Sara inquired.

“Blonde hair, blue eyes, and she wears glasses,” Oliver described.

“Wow,” Sara exclaimed. “is that her?” Sara indicated to a woman who had just walked into the hotel lobby.

Oliver’s turned around to see who Sara was referring to and his mouth dropped open.

Felicity was wearing a very form fitting purple dress with a v-split right at the breast, and she looked stunning.

Her legs were accentuated by the gold heels she was wearing.

As she approached them, Oliver noticed other men in the lobby checking Felicity out.

Oliver wasn’t sure what emotions he was feeling, but it reminded him of how he felt when Felicity had told him she was going on a date with Ray.

Pulling himself back to moment at hand, Oliver left Sara and walked over to Felicity when he asked, “Why are you wearing that?”

“Oliver, I’ve been trying to get ahold of you.

We never really cleared up where we stood on this ruse yesterday, and I wanted to tell you that I can’t do this.

I can’t pretend to be your wife and lie to this girl.

You really need to tell her the truth.”

“Shit.” Oliver started to panic.

He wasn’t prepared to try to explain this to Sara at this point.

“Wait. Why are you dressed up like that if you were just going to tell me that you can’t do this with me?”

 

“I had a lunch date with Ray.

I didn’t have time to change and since we were supposed to meet up before Sara got here, I wasn’t planning on meeting her dressed like this.”

Neither Oliver nor Felicity had noticed Sara approaching them during their conversation.

Sara’s voice broke through the tension.

“Ollie, is this your ex-wife? Felicity, is it?”

Felicity raised her eyebrows pointedly at Oliver telling him he needed to answer Sara’s question with the truth.

“Yes, it is.” Oliver stumbled over his words.

“This is Felicity.” Oliver stumbled over his words, and Felicity glared at him in disbelief.

Oliver quickly realized that he hadn’t exactly denied that Felicity was his ex-wife, and decided that he wasn’t going to correct himself at this point. Felicity was here, and since she hadn’t been the one to answer Sara, she could just go with it.

It’s not like it would be for very long anyway.

“It’s nice to meet you, Felicity.”

Sara extended her hand in greeting, even as Felicity continued to glare at Oliver.

 

Pasting a smile on her face, Felicity shook Sara’s hand to try to keep the situation from getting awkward. “It’s nice to meet you, too.

Sara.

Oliver’s told me so much about you.”

 

Oliver quickly directed them over to a table in the hotel bar, hoping Felicity would play along at this point and that the situation wouldn’t get out of control.

As they took their seats, a waiter came over to take their order, Felicity started, “I’ll have a…” but Oliver interrupted her and finished for her, “She’ll have a martini, shaken not stirred.”

Oliver leaned over to Sara.

“She always starts drinking around nine in the morning.”

Felicity was pissed that Oliver had gone against her wishes and dragged her into this.

But Oliver wanted her to play along?

‘Fine,’ Felicity thought. ‘Oliver can just deal with whatever I throw at him.’ Felicity hit Oliver’s leg under the table, then stated with smirk, “It’s five o’clock somewhere.”

Changing subjects and her focus, Felicity looked at Sara, and drew her eyes up and down Sara’s form with her eyebrow quirked.

Silence grew between them and then Felicity twisted her lips in a small knowing smile.

With a hint of amusement in her voice, Felicity said, “So, you’re fucking my husband?”

“Honestly,” Sara pleaded, “I didn’t know he was married at the time.

And then he told me that you two were getting a divorce.”

Oliver glared at Felicity.

He was looking angry. “Sara.

Could you excuse us for a minute?

I need to speak with my ex-wife, right now!” Sara nodded, and walked away from their table to give them a moment of privacy.

“What the hell are you doing?” Oliver growled.

 

“Hey. You dragged me into this even after I told you I didn’t want to do this.

So I’m just playing along like you wanted.”

Felicity smirked at Oliver.

“I’m trying to make you look good by acting like crazy, just like you told her I am,” Felicity retorted.

“Ugh,” Oliver rubbed his hands over his face.

“You weren’t meant to hear my conversation with her yesterday.”

“Oh. You mean the one where you told her I was crazy and an alcoholic?” Felicity crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Oliver.

 

“Just…wait here. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Oliver quickly got up from the table and made his way over to Sara.

“Sara, I’m so sorry about that…,” Oliver started.

 

Sara cut him off. “I can see why you want leave her, even if she does seem kind of nice. A bit crazy, but nice.”

Sara shrugged but said nothing further on the subject.

With that Oliver and Sara headed back over to the table to rejoin Felicity.

As they sat down, Oliver leaned over to Felicity and whispered, “Whatever you are doing seems to be working, so carry on.”


	6. Out of control quickly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver lie seems to be getting out of control quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody how good has arrow been these last two episodes. This is how I wanted season 5 to the point I'm like God this is such a good show. I'm looking forward to Felicity versus Oliver did you see the sexual tension in the trailer HOTTTT!!!! I had really nice messages people really love the story no bad comments what really helps me and my Beta Emily. If you know the film it's sort of followers the story but I do flashbacks what I think is cool. But I will say every time if you don't like the story don't comment there is plenty more for your taste. Think we don't like Oliver before the island but we love him now this is what I would like to do with this story. That's what the flashbacks are about as well.  
> Anyway I hope everybody enjoys this chapter a lot of cuteness from Oliver . :)

After they finished dinner, Oliver walked Felicity to her car. 

Leaning in he whispered in her ear, “Thank you for doing this.

Felicity smiled ruefully at him, and said, “I think your plan may be working, but I still think you need to tell her the truth. 

She seems like a really nice girl.

 It would be better for her to hear it from you than to find out some other way.”  
“I’ll try to find a way to tell her the truth,” Oliver conceded.  
Turning to Sara, Felicity smiled. 

“It was nice to meet you, Sara.”  
“It was nice to meet you, too,” said Sara.

“You know, even though Oliver and I didn’t work out, I hope the two of you are able to make this work.”

Sara embraced Felicity in hug unexpectedly, and spoke quietly to her. “Thank you. That means a lot coming from you.”  
Felicity looked over Sara’s shoulder at Oliver, and mouthed, ‘Tell her the truth’ to Oliver, but before he could say anything, Felicity’s phone rang. 

“I have to take this,” Felicity directed at Oliver and Sara, as she answered her phone. Turning her back to them she spoke to the caller. 

“Hi. Sweetie.”  
Oliver joked to Sara, “It’s her drug dealer,” as the stood to the side while Felicity spoke with whomever was on the phone.

“Please put her on the phone right now.” There was a pause before Felicity continued. “Are you kidding me honey?” 

Felicity was sounding exasperated. “You know how I feel about you purchasing stuff on eBay! No I don’t care if it is for your brother.’

When Oliver realized who was on the phone, he hurriedly tried to get Felicity’s attention. This could quickly turn into a disaster with Sara. “Fe-li-ci-ty,” he spoke desperately, attempting to get her attention. “Hey! Can you take that in the car, maybe?”

Felicity held her hand up to indicate ‘one moment’ as she shushed Oliver without turning to face him. “I will deal with you when I get home, young lady.” Felicity disconnected the call, and began to speak as she turned back around to Oliver and Sara. 

Exasperation clear in her voice, she started, “Oliver, would you believe…” She stopped suddenly as she took in the looks on Sara’s and Oliver’s faces.  
“You have kids,” Sara stated as she looked at Oliver. Her gaze shifted to Felicity. “You have children.”

‘Shit,’ Oliver thought. This wasn’t something he had planned to deal with and Felicity just stood there confused for a moment too long. Oliver broke in, “Uh, yeah we do. We have kids together.” Felicity’s stood there staring at Oliver trying to hide her shock at Oliver’s confession.

“When were you planning on telling me?” Sara directed at Oliver.  
Not really wanting to deal with how this lie was quickly spinning out of control, Felicity decided she needed to go. 

“Listen, I don’t know what or when Oliver was planning on telling you, but I really need to go.” She laughed awkwardly. “You know. 

To deal with the little munchkins.” She shot Oliver another look imploring him to tell Sara the truth before she forced a smile to her face and said goodbye. 

Oliver returned her smile with a small quirk of his lips trying to convey that he realized he had made this an even bigger mess than it was originally.

After Felicity left, Oliver turned to Sara in trepidation. “So,” he started hesitantly. “Are you freaked out about this?”

In a move that surprised Oliver, Sara slid up under Oliver’s arm and ran her hand across his chest. “You know,” she started, “I love kids. And it makes me like you even more to know that you have them. In fact,” she said wiggling her eyebrows at him suggestively, “I find you even more sexy.”

“Really?” Oliver was pleasantly shocked at this revelation, and a bit relieved that Sara hadn’t fled yet.

“You know I love kids. What are their names?” Sara had a big smile on her face. She seemed genuinely interested in learning about ‘Oliver’s kids’.  
“The girl’s name is Hope, and the boy is Eddie.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to meet them!” Sara said excitedly.  
Oliver began to panic a bit. What was supposed to be a one-time meet up with Felicity, was quickly spiraling out of control. 

Now he had just told Sara that he and Felicity had kids together.

 And Sara wanted to meet them. 

Not sure what to do, Oliver nervously spoke. “Really? You want to meet them?”  
With a little hurt in her voice, Sara responded, “Of course. Do you not want me to meet them?”

This situation was so far out of control that Oliver found himself responding without really thinking about the consequences. “

Of course I want you to meet them.”  
“How old are they?” Sara asked, a smile returning to her face.  
“Hope is 8 and Eddie is 5.”

Her excitement in full force again, Sara exclaimed, “Oh my gosh. I can’t wait to meet them! Do you have any pictures of them?”

“Yeah. I do.” Oliver dug out his wallet and pulled out a picture him with Felicity, and Hope holding her brother Eddie when he was only six months old. He also pulled out a picture of Hope kissing Eddie’s forehead.

[ Pictures Hope and Eddie ] 

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/848247871963115520>

“They are so gorgeous,” Sara cooed. “You look like a beautiful family.”  
Oliver smiled as he looked at the photo. 

Eddie had been crying a lot that day when Oliver had looked after he and Hope for the first time. Felicity had needed a break, and Oliver had agreed to help her. It was one of his favorite memories of Felicity’s children.

\--------------( FLASHBACK – FIVE YEARS EARLIER ) -------------  
“Oliver, are you sure you’re okay watching them?” Felicity was worried. “I am not sure I really want to leave them.”

“Felicity. It is only for an hour and I am sure that Eddie will be fine. Besides, Raisa and Thea are here to help me, if I need it.”

Worrying her hands, and looking hesitant about leaving her kids, Felicity spoke, “Okay. Well… Eddie will need to be fed in about 20 minutes. And if anything happens, you call me. 

If he starts to run a fever, or if he becomes too much to handle, anything, you call. And if Hope starts crying, you can put on ‘ The Little Mermaid’.

Trying to encourage Felicity, Oliver reminded her, “Felicity. I used to babysit Thea. I can handle these two. They will be safe with me. And just remember, it is only going to be for an hour.”

“Your right.” Felicity spoke more to herself than to Oliver, trying to convince herself she could do this. “I need to let them be with other people whom I trust.” Felicity walked over to where Hope was coloring in her ‘The Little Mermaid’ coloring book. “Sweetie. I’m going to go get my hair done.

 Oliver is going to stay with you while I am out.”  
Hope turned her big blue eyes up to face Felicity. 

“Oh. Will there be biscuits?” she asked expectantly. 

But in the next moment her expression shifted, and she spoke softly as her gaze shifted back to her coloring book. “Mommy? I don’t want you to go.” She started to cry and her cheeks became red.

  
Oliver approached Hope, and knelt down so he could speak with her. “Hey, Hope?” Hope turned her wet eyes to face Oliver. “Raisa made some ‘The Little Mermaid’ biscuits.”  
“Really?” Hope sniffed.

Picking her up, Oliver continued, “Yes. And they are all for you. And if you are really good, I will take you to where the fairies are, and we can have a picnic.”  
With a smile beginning to return to her face, Hope replied, “That’s cool,” and she snuggled into Oliver’s shoulder.

Felicity looks at Oliver gratefully. “Thank you. I’m just going to go say goodbye to Eddie,” Felicity indicates.

Oliver follows her, Hope settled on his hip. They find Eddie gnawing on a giraffe toy make cute little noises.

 Felicity leans in to kiss him, cooing, “Hey, sweetie. Mama will see you in a little bit.” Eddie grabs for her earrings, and Felicity has to remove his fingers from around them and give him the giraffe back to distract him. 

Turning to Oliver, Felicity hands him a piece of paper with several phone numbers on it. “If there are any problems, please call me. Don’t hesitate to call all of these numbers if there is even the slightest issue.”

“Felicity, go. I’ve got this.” Oliver encouraged Felicity to go after he promised repeatedly that he would call let her know if there were any problems.

Twenty minutes later while Oliver was feeding Eddie, there was a knock at his front door. Opening the door, Oliver is met with Isabel.

“Surprise!” Isabel gives Oliver a coy smile.

Confused, Oliver asks, “What are you doing her, Isabel?”  
“I know I cancelled on you because I don’t want people to know about our relationship,” Isabel admits, “but I thought I might surprise you.” She pauses as she takes in the scene before her, a crying infant in Oliver’s arms. “But it looks like I’ve come at a bad time.”

“It’s fine, Isabel. I was just babysitting for Felicity. This is Eddie.” Oliver smiles down at Eddie. “Isn’t he gorgeous?”

Just then Oliver’s sister skips into the room. “Who is this?” she asks, indicating Isabel.  
“Speedy, this is a friend of mine.” Oliver really hopes his sister will let it go at that. 

But at thirteen years of age, she is not stupid, and she is currently looking at him like she knows he isn’t telling her everything. 

“Really, Speedy. She is just a friend.”  
“Sure,” Thea states flatly, indicating her disbelief. “Anyway, I came to let you know that Hope is crying, and she only wants you or Felicity.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in just a minute.” Oliver turns to Isabel. “This really isn’t a good time. Do you think you could come back later?”

“I’m good with children,” Isabel insists. “I can help you look after them.” If Oliver had been looking at her, he might have noticed the look of disgust on her face.

“Great!” Oliver smiles at her and turns. “Come on then.”

Barely ten minutes later, Isabel is no longer able to keep her feelings in check. She is angrily gather her purse and heading for the door. 

“I’m leaving. I can’t believe that little girl,” she practically spits out. “She paint on my white Chanel dress,” Isabel screeches.

  
“Isabel,” Oliver pleads, trying to get her to lower her voice. “You’re making her cry. She didn’t know.”

Looking over at Hope, Isabel sees the cheeky smile behind the tears. “I’ll see you later,” Isabel states tersely, “when you’re not with them.” Isabel opens the door and turns as she starts to exit. “Oh.

 And my dad wants to talk to you about a merger with QC.”  
With that, Isabel walks out the door, and Oliver closes it behind her. He turns to Hope and chastises, “That wasn’t very nice, you know.”

Using her cutest voice, Hope explains, “She took one of my biscuits, and she said that mommy was stupid, and a horse.”

“When did she say that?” Oliver questions carefully, “the horse bit,” knowing what Isabel really meant.  
“When you were changing Eddie’s diaper,” Hope says matter-of-factly. Then with a cheeky grin, “That’s why I put red paint on her dress.”

Shaking his head in amusement, Oliver leans over to Hope, smiling, and speaks conspiringly, “Don’t tell anybody, but I think you made it look better.”

\---------------( End of Flashback ) ---------------

Oliver realizes that Hope knew at three years of age that Isabel wasn’t a nice person. Oliver is so lost in his thoughts that he doesn’t immediately realize that Sara is asking him a question.

“Did you hear anything I said?” Sara asks him in exasperation.  
“No. Sorry.” Oliver shakes his head.

“I said that I would really like to meet your kids. I think it would be a good idea for me to get to know them since they are such a big part of your life.” Sara smiles at him with such expectancy on her face, waiting for Oliver to reply.

Oh, boy. Oliver gulps. This lie seems to be getting out of control quickly. He nods at Sara and manages to get out, “Sure.” Now he just has to figure out how to work this out.


	7. Hawaii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter everybody I really like this chapter one of my favourites. Oliver will be better but right now he's just a little bit thinking with something else. But now The real fun begins. And say thank you to my amazing beta she does so much with this story. <3  
> But anyway I hope you enjoy . And I can't wait for Arrow feels like season five has just started. :)

One week later…

 

Oliver was sitting in a booth at Big Belly Burger with Hope and Eddie on either side of him.

“So,” Hope eyes Oliver over the top of her glasses as she pins him with a knowing smile, “Mom doesn’t know that you took us away from our nanny.” In this moment, with blonde hair and glasses, she looks especially like her mom as she stares Oliver down.

Eddie, on the other hand, looks a lot like his father.

He may have his mother’s blue eyes, but he has his father’s brown hair.

 

“No. Your mother doesn’t know that I’ve taken you out.” Oliver tries to imbue his voice with confidence to hide his nervousness, “but she’ll be okay with it.” Oliver only hopes he sounds more convincing than he feels at the moment.

 

“You do realize this is kidnapping,” Hope points out.

Trying to change the topic, Oliver says, “So…how would you like to be my kids for the day?”

“Why don’t you just tell the poor girl the truth?” Hope says rather bluntly.

 

Caught off guard, Oliver freezes. “You know.” His voice comes out flat and he feels a bit of panic rising inside of him.

 

“Of course,” Hope says, a hint of disbelief that he would expect any other answer. “Mom tells us everything.” She pauses for a moment and then gets a big grin on her face.

If Oliver didn’t know any better, he would think she was mocking him. “Wedding boy.” Okay, so maybe she was mocking him.

 

“What did she tell you?” Oliver asks wryly.

 

Hope flicks her hair over her shoulder, then says, “Oh my god. Did you see Gossip Girl last night?” as she bats her eyelashes at him.

 

Oliver’s expression turns flat. “Ha. Ha. She is not that young,” he defends, a smile creeping in.

Oliver tries to explain to Hope, “Look, I’m not sure what your mom told you but I’m not sure you have the right idea.

And she’s wrong, too. Turns out the truth just doesn’t seem to be in the cards for me.” Hope is still looking at him like she doesn’t believe what he is saying. “Look.

I really like this girl, and I need your help.” He smiles at the kids, and presses, “You’re my favorite godchildren.”

From the other side of Oliver, Eddie quips, “We are your only godchildren.”  
Ignoring Eddie’s comment, Oliver continues trying to convince Hope. “I thought you would be excited. This is an acting job.”

“Well, if it’s an acting job,” Hope says with a fake innocent smile, “shouldn’t we get paid for it?”

“Can I get paid in sweets?” Eddies asks.

Oliver sat there with his jaw hanging open.

Felicity’s children were smart.

And they were trying to hustle him. “You are going to get paid in experience. Think of this as practice for the future.”

 

“Actually,” Hope states, “I want to get paid.”

Humoring her, Oliver asks, “Okay, what do you want?”  
“I want $400 dollars for the day, plus any overtime,” she starts. “I will do my own hair and make-up.

I want to go to Disneyland in Paris, and I want to take French lessons.”

Oliver counters, “I’ll give you $50 for the day, and we can do to Disneyland in Florida.”  
“Five hundred dollars and Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom,” Hope negotiates.  
“Three hundred dollars,” Oliver offers, “and Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom.”

“Okay.” Hope shakes Oliver’s hand.

 

Smiling, Oliver admits, “I would have given you $500 dollars.”

 

Hope shrugs her shoulder as she smiles knowingly. “I would have done it for the experience.”

 

Shaking his head in amusement, Oliver lets out a short laugh. “God. You are just like your mom.” Oliver turns to Eddie next.

“Okay, Eddie, what do you want?”

 

“I want you to take me to Hawaii so I can swim with the dolphins,” he says.  
“Yeah, no.

We are not going to Hawaii. Anything else?”

In his cutest voice, Eddie looks at Oliver and says, “Then find somebody else.” Then he reaches over and picks up his milkshake, as if the conversation is over.

 

“Okay.” Oliver shakes his head, rolling his eyes at Eddie’s antics.

“Is there something else I can get you instead?”

 

Eddie looked at Oliver with a straight face. “I want a flying pony.”

 

Oliver laughed at that. “I want a flying pony, too, Eddie, but they’re not real.”  
“Then I want a regular pony, and I will name him Nelson.”  
“How about I get you a PlayStation 3?” Oliver bargained.

 

“Keep talking.”  
These kids really know how to drive a hard bargain. “I will include all the new games, and get you the version that allows you to watch 3-D movies,” Oliver said, hoping he had finally convinced Eddie.

Eddie pondered for a moment before adding, “I want the meeting with Sara to be at Happy Burgers.

And if we go there, I want unlimited tokens. And if I have tokens, I want to spend them.” Eddie is very seriously as he eyes Oliver to see if he will agree to his demands.

 

“Alright then. Do we have a deal?” Oliver asks, looking at both children in turn.

“Yes,” replied Hope.

“Awesome!” Eddie exclaimed.

Glad that he got the kids to agree to the ruse, Oliver turns back to Hope and notices that she hasn’t touched her lunch. “Hope, if you don’t eat your burger, you won’t be going to Disneyland.”

Hope picked up her burger, and with fake enthusiasm replied, “Oh, yummy. I can’t wait to eat it.”

Felicity had told Oliver that Hope was stressed and it was causing her to have a hard time eating.

Her friends at school kept saying that Hope didn’t have a dad.

But she did.

He just doesn’t see her. And apparently it was affecting her appetite.

“Oliver, I’m so angry with you right now.

I can’t believe that picked my kids up from their nanny without talking to me first.” Felicity was pacing back and forth in her office.

“What happened to this being a one-time meet up?

One that I thought was a bad idea in the first place.

And my children were never supposed to be a part of this.

What do you think is going to happen if Sara wants to see them again, or if I’m at your house with Thea?” Felicity was so angry she was practically shaking.

“What are you hoping to get from all of this? Is this seriously just to get into her pants?

Just because you want to get into her pants doesn’t mean I’m going to let you do this to my children, even if it is just for one day. This isn’t okay, Oliver!”

 

“What are you wearing?” Oliver asked randomly.  
It was enough to cause Felicity to stop her pacing. “What?” she asked in confusion.

 

“You’re all dressed up fancy, and even your makeup is fancier than normal.”

 

“I have a date tonight,” she huffed. “I told you I was going on a date with Ray again.”

“Creepy eyes, you mean,” Oliver chuckled.

“You really don’t like him, do you?” Felicity asked.

“No. He hacked your phone,” Oliver pointed out.  
Felicity tried to brush off his concern. “He just wanted to find out where I worked.”

“And he is working here for a bit?” Oliver questioned.

“Oliver, he owns Palmer Tech. He doesn’t need to work. And the kids really like him.”

Oliver can’t really explain why, because he has never really felt it before, but he feels a sting of jealousy at Felicity’s comment. “Wait. Ray has met the kids?”

Oliver is trying hard to keep his emotions under wraps.

“Yes.” Felicity snaps a little defensively as Oliver isn’t doing a very good job of keeping tone from becoming accusatory.

“My car broke down and he helped me pick them up.

Why are you asking?”  
“I’m just surprised.” Oliver aims for nonchalance unsuccessfully.

“You don’t normally let new people around them.”  
“Exactly, Oliver!” Felicity doesn’t let up.

“So why do you think I would let you use my children with someone they have never met?”

 

Oliver puts on his best puppy dog eyes, and smiles at Felicity.

“Because I’m your best friend and you love me.

Eddie’s face lit up when I said he could choose where we eat.

And I got Hope to eat some of her burger.”  
Caught off guard as the conversation to another turn, Felicity looked at Oliver, her eyebrows raised. “Wow.

That’s really amazing.

Hope hasn’t been eating very well lately.” Felicity’s voice softened as she spoke about her kids.

“Did Eddie really smile?

And did Hope really eat a piece of burger?”

 

“His smile was so cute,” Oliver confirmed, “and Hope really did enjoy her burger. And she is looking forward to Disneyland.”

Turning up the charm just a little bit more, Oliver went in for the kill, knowing Felicity would do anything for her kids. “Don’t do it for me.

Do it for the children.”“Dammit, Oliver.

This isn’t okay.

Now you are getting my kids to lie for you by making them promises. Promises that you now have to follow through with! I can’t believe you actually bribed my children.

Wait…no.

I can believe it.” Felicity sighed, knowing that she would never knowingly disappoint her kids.

Damn you, Oliver.

“Fine. When and where are you doing

 

\-------( The next day )--------

 

Oliver met Felicity and her kids at Happy Burgers.

Oliver looked at Felicity getting out her car with a confused look on his face.

“What are you wearing, Felicity?”

“I’m just wearing some of the clothes you bought me,” Felicity said, confused.

  
“You look like you are wearing Victoria Beckham’s dress,” said Oliver.

( Oliver and Felicity's Close. ) 

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/853568053086490624>

 

“I don’t understand. You bought me these clothes because you wanted me to have a certain appearance, so I am wearing them.”

“Well, you look like you just stepped out of a photo shoot for a magazine,” Oliver indicated. 

 

Wasn’t this why Oliver had spent ridiculous amounts of money on clothes for her?

He had wanted her to portray a specific image?

“And you look like you belong on a construction site,” Felicity quipped back. He was wearing a leather jacket over a checkered flannel shirt, work boots, jeans, and sunglasses.

How was it possible he could make casual look so hot?

 

Despite the fact that most of Felicity’s comment was said out loud, Oliver ignored it and turned towards the restaurant. “Come on. Let’s head inside.”

“Are you really nervous for how this will go?” Felicity asked curiously.

“I am.” Oliver kept his answer short as he focused on his impending meeting with Sara.

“So,” Felicity continued, “where is she?”

“She is already waiting inside the restaurant.

We should head in before she thinks we aren’t coming.” Oliver was anxious for how this would turn out.

He hoped the kids could keep up the charade.

 

“I still can’t believe you dragged my kids into this, Oliver.” Felicity’s frustration at Oliver’s unwillingness to tell Sara the truth come out in her tone.

“AND you bribed my kids!” But Oliver wasn’t paying any attention to what Felicity was saying to him as they headed in to meet Sara.

 

The lunch seemed to be going great, then halfway through their meal, Hope got upset and ran off.

Oliver followed after her hoping he could calm her down enough to get through this meeting with Sara.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asked in a soft voice when he caught up with Hope.

 

“I’m fine,” Hope replied. “I’m trying to make you look better.”

Hope glanced over to their table. “Give me a hug,” she instructed.  
“I will always give you a hug, Hope,” Oliver said.

 

They headed back to the table after a brief hug.

When they got back, Oliver noticed that Felicity wasn’t sitting at the table anymore.

“She headed to restroom,” Sara explained when she saw that Oliver seemed worried by Felicity’s absence.

 

Once they sat down, Eddie spoke up out the blue. “I really wish I could go to Hawaii and swim with the dolphins.”  
“Oh?” Sara wasn’t sure what to make of the comment. “Why are you not going?” she queried.

 

“Because my dad doesn’t have time for me!” Eddie blurted out and then began crying.

Hope reached over to Eddie to pull him into a hug to comfort him.

Sara glanced over to Oliver with a question on her face. “You’ve got some time off, don’t you?

Two weeks?” Then she turned to Eddie. “I am sure your dad would love to take you to Hawaii and go swimming with the dolphins.”

Oliver was thinking, ‘No.

That two weeks was for us to spend every day having sex.’ He looked at Eddie, and instead of voicing those thoughts he said, “Sure, son.

We can go. I’ve got some time off.  
Actually,” Oliver thought maybe he could make this better, “Sara, why don’t you come as well.

And you, too, Hope.” Eddie looked up at Oliver, a smile forming on his face.

“So can my mom come, as well?”Of course, she can,” Oliver agreed.

 

At that moment Felicity returned to the table and notice immediately that Eddie had been crying. “What’s wrong, Eddie?”  
“I think we are all going to Hawaii, mom?” he sniffed, tears still running down his face.

 

Felicity looked suspiciously at Oliver. “What’s going on?”  
Sara chose to answer, “Oliver has some time off and he is going to spend it with Eddie and Hope.

Eddie wants to swim with the dolphins in Hawaii.” Sara smiled, looking around at the kids and then back to Felicity.

“I think it’s so nice that you all can go on vacation with each other.”

Felicity’s jaw dropped and she just gawked at Oliver.  
Sara had to leave shortly after that.  
As soon as she left, Eddie’s tears completely dried up, and smiled at Oliver as is nothing had happened.

Oliver realized that this little boy had just played him, and now he has to take him to Hawaii.

He was quite impressed with both of Felicity’s kids and their ability to get him to do stuff.

“I see what you did there,” Oliver commended. “But why?”

Eddie shrugged his shoulder. “Mommy says that you are rich and that you can afford it.”Trying to compose herself Felicity looked at Oliver, and pointed one finger at him. “I didn’t say that.

I only said that you had money.” Before Oliver could respond, “What the hell, Oliver?

I was gone for a few minutes! And now we are going on vacation with Sara?

How exactly are you supposed to keep up this lie while we are around each other 24 hours a day?” Felicity was exasperated with Oliver at this point. “Sara seems like a really nice girl and she doesn’t deserve to have you lying to her like this.

If you don’t tell her soon, she will probably find out on her own and this is going to blow up in your face.”  
Oliver realized this was lie was quickly spirally out of control, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

He could only hope that he was able to keep up this ruse at least a little while longer until he could figure out what to tell Sara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed is chapter . All I'm gonna say this holiday will be the best thing to ever happened to Oliver and Felicity :) next chapter we get another guest joining the holiday wonder who it could be ;) .


	8. “Smoaky, Smoaky, my lover.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have a surprise guest .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everybody enjoys this chapter .

Oliver was sitting with Felicity, Eddie and Hope at the airport waiting for Sara. “I can’t believe your son played me,” he grumbled.

“It’s your own fault,” Felicity retorted. “I can always take my children back home, and leave you to explain to Sara what is really going on.”

Oliver let out a sigh. “Fine. Okay.”

“Yes, well, let’s just see if we can get through this vacation without any more surprises, okay?” Felicity gave Oliver a pointed stare. “It’s bad enough you got me to lie for you, but now my kids are in on this. At this point I kind of feel like I need this vacation.” 

Felicity whispered harshly, “If only it wasn’t wrapped up in so many lies!” Felicity’s gaze shifted to behind Oliver to find Sara approaching them wearing a beautiful yellow sundress with blue butterflies on it. 

“Oh, look, Oliver! She has a magazine about One Direction,” Felicity snarked. Standing up she turned back to Oliver and the kids and stated, “I’m going to go get some drinks. Eddie. Hope. Stay here with Oliver.”

Felicity was halfway to the concession stand when she heard a familiar voice from behind her.

“Smoaky, Smoaky, my lover.”

As she turned around she was greeted by none other than Tommy Merlyn, who proceeded to drag her into a very passionate kiss.

 

“What the hell, Tommy?” Felicity whispered angrily. “And what are you doing here?”  
Tommy continued holding onto Felicity, pulling her in even closer to him. “Oh, honey, I couldn’t stay away from my Smoaky,” he smiled at her, attempting a seductive attitude. 

“Besides, Oliver called me and said that I could come on this little vacation.” He leaned in and kissed her again. “Aren’t you excited to see me?” Tommy smirked at her.  
“Oh, yes,” Felicity stated sarcastically, “I am so excited to see you.” Then muttering under her breath she said, “Please kill me now.”

 

Across the way, Oliver had spotted Tommy and Felicity together, and immediately headed to where they were standing, leaving Sara with the kids. “What are you doing here, Tommy?” Oliver bit out angrily.

 

“I’m coming with you on your vacation,” Tommy smiled reaching his arm around Felicity’s waist and dragging her back into him as she attempted to put distance between the two of them. “I couldn’t just leave my Smoaky.” He leaned over and kissed Felicity again, even as she was trying to push him away.  
“You don’t have a ticket,” Oliver stated.

 

“Oh, come on Oliver,” Tommy said with a smile, “You’ll pay for me won’t you?”  
At that point, Sara joined the group. “Who’s this?” she asked turning to Oliver.  
Tommy offered his hand to Sara. “Hello. My name is Tommy. 

I’m Felicity’s boyfriend.” He turned to smile at Felicity and waggled his eyebrows. “She invited me because she couldn’t get enough of my body.” He glanced back at Oliver with a smirk.

Felicity rolled her eyes at Tommy before changing the subject. “I’m going to go back of there and check on my children, whom you were supposed to be watching, Oliver.”

As Felicity walked away, Sara said, “Nice to meet you Tommy. I’m just going to go back there with Felicity and let the two of you catch up on whatever...,” she trailed off, and then followed after Felicity.

Once the girls were out of earshot, Oliver confronted Tommy again. He didn’t bother to hide his anger when he questioned, “I’ll ask you again, Tommy. What are you doing here?

“Like I told you before,” Tommy grinned, “I want to have sex with Felicity. And what better chance than a romantic trip to Hawaii?” Then Tommy huffed, “Why do you care anyway?

And you know I’ll give you the money back for the trip’s expenses.”  
Oliver is not entirely sure why he is so angry that Tommy is here. 

He is his best friend. He also doesn’t know why the idea of Tommy trying to have sex with Felicity makes him so angry. 

Tommy has been trying to get into her pants from the moment that he met her. This feeling that Oliver is very unfamiliar with is bubbling up inside him. “Jealousy? Want? Certainly not,” Oliver thinks to himself.

Oliver shakes his head attempting to clear those ideas from his mind. Heading over the ticket counter Oliver thinks that this vacation couldn’t possibly get any more complicated. 

Oliver thinks the addition of Tommy just might kill him.

 

When Oliver approaches the stewardess at the ticket counter, he asks, “Can I please get one more ticket for Hawaii?”  
“That will be $2500. Will that be cash or credit card, Sir?”

 

Oliver handed over his black card. While waiting for the stewardess to process his request, he turned back around to observe his friends, only to find Tommy attempting to kiss Felicity again. Oliver doesn’t realize how tightly he has clenched his fists until his fingernails start to bite into his palm. 

He doesn’t understand why he is getting so jealous of what is going on with Tommy and Felicity. The two of them have known each other for just as long as Oliver has known Felicity. 

Attempting to take his mind off whatever is going on with Tommy and Felicity, Oliver turns back to the counter. All Oliver had wanted was to spend some time with Sara, and now he has Felicity, her kids, and Tommy in tow.

 

Oliver also keeps thinking that this vacation keeps getting more expensive by the minute. 

His mom may have cut him off from his trust fund, but he still has money that he gets from the night club that he and Tommy own. 

That was over a year ago, and his mother has been slowly coming to terms with the fact that Oliver has started to grow up. 

In fact, the part of the reason that Oliver was away for the last eight months, aside from the whole Isabel debacle, was that he has been trying to get a deal with MI5 for a security contract. That is why they are in a partnership with Palmer Tech at the moment.

 

That thought just reminds Oliver about Felicity’s date with Ray Palmer. Oliver really doesn’t like that man. He was quite surprised that Felicity agreed to a date with Ray. As if Tommy showing up hadn’t soured his mood already, the thought of Ray Palmer certainly wasn’t helping. Fortunately, before his mind could go any further down that rabbit hole, he was pulled from his thoughts by little Eddie declaring rather loudly that he need to use the restroom

 

Oliver mostly enjoyed the flight, as he was able to pull Sara into restroom to do some naughty things. However, he didn’t enjoy watching Tommy kiss Felicity. Or at least, attempting to kiss Felicity. His only consolation was that Felicity was making it rather difficult for Tommy.

 

In no time, they arrived at a hotel with hula girls in the lobby handing out flower leis. Oliver approached the desk while the rest of the group hung back in the lobby.  
“Hi,” Oliver said to the desk clerk. “I don’t have a reservation, but I would like to see about getting two rooms.”

 

“I’m sorry sir, but we only have suites left right now. We have the Water World room at $8000 per night, or our other suite is $12000 a night.”

 

Oliver may be rich, but he doesn’t know if he can afford $12000 a night. “Are the Rolling Stones going to perform for me? That’s a lot of money. It’s just a hotel room,” Oliver states incredulously to the clerk.

 

“Hmm. That gives me some great ideas,” the clerk says mostly to his computer as he is checking Oliver in. Addressing Oliver directly he asks, “Are you a member of our Hilton Club?”

 

“No,” Oliver practically sighs before handing over his credit card. Again. After paying for the room, he collects the room keys and heads back to the group.  
“Who wants to head out the beach?” Sara directs at the kids.

 

Both of the kids start screaming in glee and run off after Sara, heading up to their room.

“Who wants to start drinking?” Oliver mutters.  
“Me,” Tommy and Felicity echo, as the three of them follow the others heading for their room.

 

Later, while they were all out on the beach, Oliver and Tommy stared at Sara as she came up out of the water wearing a very small yellow bikini that showed off her figure exquisitely. 

Her stomach was flat, and while her breasts may not have been as large as Oliver normally appreciated, he found her absolutely beautiful. 

She was walking up the beach towards them in seemingly slow motion, and everything that Oliver was seeing made him wish that they were alone on the beach at that moment so that he could take her right there, right now.

 

“Okay,” Tommy said to Oliver without taking his eyes off Sara. “I would totally make up a fake family for that, too. God, you are so lucky man. She is stunning.” Tommy was practically drooling at this point. “Oh my God, her figure.”

 

“You’re disgusting,” Felicity snipped out as she looked up from her book.  
At this point, Hope came running up to them, followed by Sara and Eddie. “Mom. You have to come join us in the water. It’s so warm and lovely.”

Felicity smiled kindly at her daughter. “Honey, I’m good,” she said as she settled in to read some more. “And I don’t really feel like swimming right now.”

 

“Come on, Felicity. Your body is beautiful.” Tommy winked at her, “I should know.” Turning towards Sara he pointed, “Don’t be disheartened by that beautiful work of art.”

 

“She’s got an amazing figure,” Sara encouraged, having joined Oliver. “I hope I’ve got an amazing figure like that when I’m her age, and she’s had two children.  
“Thank you,” Felicity said to Sara.

 

Grabbing Sara from behind around her waist, Oliver smiled, “Yeah, you’ll look that good if you do Pokémon like she does.” Sara glanced at Oliver with a strange expression on her face and mouthed, “Pokémon?” Oliver just smiled shaking his head without saying anything more. 

Only those who truly knew Felicity understood how much she despised exercise. This was their little joke, and it always made the two of them smile to think about it.  
“Definitely,” Tommy agreed, also aware of the joke, as he started to stroke Felicity’s leg, slipping his hand slowly higher.

 

Swatting his hand away, Felicity said pointedly, “Stop.” Addressing the others, she stated, “I just don’t feel like swimming right now. I was hoping to relax and catch up on some reading."

She eyed the boys, daring them to contradict her decision.  
They spent several more hours enjoying the beach before deciding to find something else to do. 

Felicity and Sara headed off somewhere into the hotel, leaving Oliver and Tommy by themselves.

“What are we doing here Oliver?” Tommy asked as they stood inside a jewelry store. It appeared as if Oliver was looking at engagement rings.

 

“Can’t I just look at engagement rings?” Oliver asked back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Tommy me was the surprise I can do a story like this without him he has that charm .


	9. My Partner in Everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everybody enjoys this chapter I'm not sure when the next one will be updated .I know it's been so long but i'm still waiting for my beta to send me Chapt 10 . There is some little moments with Olicity .

“Really?” Tommy inquired. 

“We both know that you are going to get over this hottie quickly, and then next week you’ll be back on the prowl with me,” he stated with confidence as he wandered the jewelry store.

 

“No,” Oliver denied. “She’s beautiful, and Hot. She’s the sweetest girl.” There was a note of wistfulness in Oliver’s voice.

 

“Yes,” Tommy stated as he leaned against the shops door frame, “but that doesn’t mean that you have to marry her.”

 

“Haven’t you seen her lips?” Oliver continued as if he hadn’t heard Tommy. “I don’t think I have ever seen lips like that.”

 

A lustful look crossed Tommy’s face. “I know. Her lips look like God made them. I just want to kiss them.”

Snapping out of his reverie, Oliver looked at Tommy pointedly. “Do you want me to punch you?”

“I meant you should kiss them,” Tommy corrected.

 

Later they met up with Sara, Felicity and her kids for dinner. As they were sitting around the table, Sara spoke up. “I think this would be an excellent time for all of us to get to know each other better.” Looking to Tommy she asked, “So what is it that you do?”

 

“Well,” Tommy drawled, laying on the charm, “I’m a doctor.”

 

“Wow!” Sara’s eyes widened. “That’s impressive. Are you just a doctor, or do you specialize in anything?”  
“I’m a brain surgeon,” Tommy continued, looking into Sara’s eyes.

 

“That’s so cool, Tommy,” said the Hope and Eddie.  
“Yeah,” Felicity rolled her eyes. “That’s’ really cool Tommy.”

 

Just then a waiter came by with several drinks. 

Felicity grabbed his arm. “Just leave them here,” she indicated to the space next to her at the table.

 

“Long night?” The waiter inquired with raised eyebrows.

 

Felicity glance around to Oliver, Tommy, and then Sara. “Definitely,” she stated.

 

“And that’s how I met Felicity,” Tommy explained. 

“She didn’t have anything wrong with her brain. 

She was just going in to get her lady parts fixed.”  
Felicity choked on her drink as Eddie asked, “What you mean by lady parts?”

 

Just as Tommy opened his mouth to explain, Felicity kicked him under the table and whispered menacingly, “Do not say another word or you will be sleeping outside.”

 

Gulping, Tommy nodded before turning back to Eddie. “I’ll explain when you’re older, mate.”

 

Felicity glanced at Oliver, and nodded over her shoulder. “Walk with me,” she stated tersely, giving Oliver no room to argue.

 

Standing up from the table, Oliver said, “Okay, guys, behave. We’ll be back in just a minute.” Then he leaned over and whispered in Tommy’s ear, “If you say anything to embarrass Felicity or me while we are gone, I will kill you and it will be painful. 

I will do to you what I did in eighth grade.”

 

“Okay,” Tommy replied, a shiver running up his spine.

 

Felicity and Oliver got up and walked far enough away from the table so that their conversation couldn’t be heard.

 

“Oliver, I’m going to kill Tommy! 

He was talking about my vagina. In front of my children!” Felicity was fuming.

 

Oliver attempted to placate her, and grabbed her by her shoulders to stop her rant. 

“I’m sorry. 

You know what Tommy is like. 

He fancies you. 

And he is shit at lying. Honestly, I thought he was going to say that he was a sheep herder.”

 

Felicity laughed at that. “Honestly, that would have been funnier. But Oliver, I can’t keep doing this if he is going to be weird around me.” She started panicking. “What if he says something in front of Hope and Eddie?”  
Oliver started to stroke her arms. “I will talk to Tommy later. 

 

See if I can’t get him to tone it down, or back off. Okay?”  
Oliver and Felicity just stood there staring into each other’s eyes. 

Felicity really took him in in that moment. 

She thought he looked gorgeous in his white button down shirt and cargo pants. She had thought he looked good in a suit, but Oliver dressed casually was so much better. 

And that tan. He looked so good with a tan.

 

Oliver continued to just watch Felicity as he stroked her arms. 

Slowly he reached up and took a piece of hair that had fallen forward, and tucked it behind her ear. 

She looked beautiful, wearing a cross-shoulder dress that didn’t hide her breasts, but instead amplified them.

 

The moment was ruined when someone approached them and spoke. “Hey, missy.”

 

Felicity turned around to face one of her worst nightmares. 

Right in front of her was the person who had bullied her relentlessly in school. 

Helena Bertinelli.  
“Oh my God,” Helena practically screeched. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”  
Felicity stood there in shock, not saying anything.

 

Oliver extended his hand, “Hi. My name is Oliver Queen.”

 

“Wow. Are you Felicity’s friend?” Helena asked.  
Felicity chose that moment to snap out of her shock, and blurted out, “No. He’s my husband.”

 

“Well,” Helena’s gaze traveled up and down Oliver’s form, “you did well, Felicity.” 

She then turned to acknowledge the man standing with her. “This is my husband, Max. He invented the iPod,” Helena bragged.

 

“Of course he did,” Felicity muttered under her breath.

 

“We’ve been married for five years now, haven’t we honey?” Helena started kissing her husband and saying, “I love you. 

You’re beautiful.”

Max replied to Helena, “I love you, too. You’re the best thing I’ve got and will ever have.”

“Your mind interests me. 

Your body excites me. I want you right this minute,” Helena crooned to Max.

 

“I love your body,” Max continued. “Your hair is beautiful like the sun.”  
Felicity and Oliver just stood there awkwardly together, not knowing what to do or what was going on. 

It felt a little like they were invading on a very private moment.

 

“I’m sorry,” Helena stated turning back to Felicity. 

“It’s for couple’s therapy. 

We are supposed to say to each other what we love about each other.” 

Then her tone shifted and she addressed Felicity rudely. “How is it you are affording this vacation Felicity?”

 

Before Felicity could respond, Oliver stepped in and replied angrily, “Have you ever heard of QC?”

 

“Yes,” Max acknowledged. “That’s a really big company and I was hoping to present some of my ideas to them.”  
“Felicity runs the IT department at QC,” Oliver stated with pride in his voice.

 

“Wow,” Helena said, her tone only slightly less hostile, “That’s really cool, Felicity.”

 

Oliver could tell that Felicity was very uncomfortable and said, “We better go. 

Our children are waiting for us.”

 

“You have children and kept that figure?” Helena asked in surprise.

 

“I do a lot of Pokémon,” Felicity indicated hesitantly.  
Oliver just smiled at her with a knowing grin and said, “Yeah. 

She does really well with that.” 

He was rewarded with big smile from Felicity that caused a warm sensation to bubble up inside himself.

 

“Okay.” Helena said, confusedly, but continuing on regardless. “Are you guys free tomorrow night?”  
“No,” Felicity said at the same time that Oliver said, “Yes.”

 

“No,” Felicity reiterated, turning to face Oliver, glaring at him. “We have that thing. Don’t you remember?”

 

“No,” Oliver said with a devilish smile. “We don’t have anything tomorrow night.”

 

“Great,” Helena interrupted them. 

“We will meet you at the Ocean View restaurant at seven tomorrow night.”

 

Felicity didn’t get a chance to respond either way before Helena was walking away. She smacked Oliver across the chest. “Why did you do that?” she hissed.

 

“You’ve never told me about your time at school, and I want all the dirt I can get. You know all of mine,” he said with a big grin on his face.

 

“That’s because you were in all the tabloids all the time and you were a man whore then,” Felicity retorted.

 

As they headed back to the table, Felicity’s voice softened. “Thank you,” she said. “For saying what you said about my work at QC.”  
“Felicity,” Oliver said. 

He wanted her to understand his sincerity. “You are the biggest thing that makes me go to work, and you are my partner in everything. 

Without you, Isabel would have gotten a lot more of the company than she did.” And then he huffed, a slight annoyance in his voice, “I’m surprised they didn’t recognize my name.”

 

Laughter creeping in, Felicity smiled. “Queen. Are you angry that you didn’t get recognized?”

 

“No,” Oliver tried to fib, not hiding the pout very well.  
Felicity pointed her finger at Oliver and laughed. “Oh my god. 

You’re upset that they didn’t recognize you. 

The great Oliver Queen didn’t get recognized! Looks like you’re losing your touch, Oliver.” Felicity stumbled as she laughed, right into Oliver. 

Oliver caught her and pulled her into himself, and she could feel the heat coming of his body. 

In that moment, an image of a naked Oliver flashed in her mind with her licking her tongue up his abs, and then down to his cock.

 

“What did you say?” Oliver asked pulling her out of her head.

“I said we better check the clock,” Felicity attempted to correct nervously, fearing her thoughts hadn’t stayed in her head. “We have and early morning.”

The next morning came very early. “Sara,” Oliver whined as he walked in the main living area. “Why are we up so early?” She was wearing the tightest workout clothes he’s ever seen.

 

“I’ve planned a full day of activities for us on the island. 

Come on, Grandpa,” Sara teased, “it’ll be fun. We’ve got kayaking, walks through the rain forest, and swimming through waterfalls.”

 

“I hope you mean skinny-dipping,” Oliver said as he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek and then the lips.  
“Maybe if you’re good,” she smiled.

 

They were broken out of their little bubble by Felicity stating, “I’m going to say swimming.” She gave them a pointed glare as she continued French braiding Hopes hair, reminding them that one, they weren’t alone, and two there were children in the room.

 

“I don’t mind skinny dipping,” Tommy suggested, as he tried to come up behind Felicity. 

He stopped abruptly as Felicity put her hands up and raised an eyebrow. “Sorry,” Tommy said immediately backing off. 

“So…I guess it’s going to be all of us,” he said, looking at Felicity, then Sara. “That will be cool. 

We can all bond,” he smiled continuing to look at Sara.

 

“Great,” Oliver indicated sarcastically.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you think let me know .And the next chapter they go hiking for the rainforest.


	10. Now that I see you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi been a long time I hope everybody enjoys this chapter is one of my favourites I have to say thank you to Emily for beta.

Taking a moment to look around, Oliver had to admit that the island was beautiful. He thinks in another life he must have lived on an island. 

Being surrounded by the water and found on an island always make him nervous like he's always meant to be on an island . Anyway He soaks in every detail as he and this misfit band trek through the beautiful jungle. 

He spots a flower that reminds him of his grandmother and of the flowers in the Queen gardens. They also remind him of Hope’s fourth birthday party. 

\------------ ( Flashback – 4 years earlier) --------------

Oliver had just ended a call with a very irate Isabel. He was supposed to be spending the weekend with her but he had cancelled in order to celebrate Hope’s birthday with her. 

Also, Isabel still hadn’t gotten over the fact that Hope had gotten paint all over her designer dress. Despite the fact that Oliver had found her another dress to make her happy, he learned really quickly that Isabel was not one to let things go. 

The incident had occurred six months earlier, Hope was only a child of three years, but Isabel was still upset and never passed up the opportunity to remind Oliver of that moment.

 

But in that moment Oliver spots Hope and a smile blossoms across his face. She is an adorable little girl wearing the beautiful little princess dress that he purchased for her. 

He loves spoiling her and there was never a doubt that he would have dropped everything to be here for her birthday. It doesn’t matter that he and Isabel are now engaged.

This little girl means so much to him. He has known Felicity and her kids for a year and a half, and he can’t imagine what his life would be like without them being a part of it. 

Eddie at one year of age is just learning to walk and he is changing daily.  
Oliver is pulled out of thoughts by a gleeful ‘Ollie’ uttered by the birthday girl herself as she runs up to him. 

Her struggle with saying his name reminds of him of how his sister Thea had trouble saying his name when she was younger. 

He sweeps a giggling Hope up into his arms. In addition to the white dress adorned with crotched lace, Hope has added a floral crown made from flowers picked from the gardens. She is also hold what she claims to be a fairy wand.

 

“Ollie. You have to be a fairy or a princess if you want to come to my party,” Hope whines.

Kissing her forehead Oliver says very seriously, “I am going to be prince.”  
“No silly,” Hope giggles. “You can’t be a prince. You have to be a king because mommy is a queen.”

“Alright then.” Oliver smiles. “Where do I get my crown?”  
With a silly smile on her face Hope announces, “I think we only have princess crowns!”

His smile grows wider as he takes in this happy child with brilliant blonde hair and shining big blue eyes. Oliver can’t help but be drawn into this fantastical reality. 

https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/898939111528157184

Only moments later Oliver finds himself dressed as a fairy while Princess Hope entreats him to protect all life. 

Out of the corner of his eye he sees his grandmother smiling approvingly, knowing that Oliver being here is helping her get through everything that is happening with his father. 

Surrounded by four year old girls singing Disney songs, covered in glitter, and having his picture taken while being laughed at, Oliver realizes that he loves this. There are only a few people that he would do this for: Felicity, Hope, Thea and his grandmother.

A very unbalanced Eddie dressed as Peter Pan makes his way over to Oliver desperate to get in on the fun. The costume choice was most definitely made by his sister considering the party theme! 

He is followed very closely by Felicity in a hot pink dress with cutouts in some very distracting places. Eddie’s approach, however, keeps Oliver from getting too distracted. 

When Eddie is close enough, Oliver sweeps him up and tosses him in the air, catching him is his strong embrace. 

The little boys laughter makes Oliver’s smile grow even wider, if that is even possible. He tosses Eddie a few more times, enjoying the giggling toddler’s reaction.  
“You better not do that too much or he just might puke on you!” Felicity grins mischievously as she sidles up next to him.

 

“You wouldn’t do that to your Uncle Oliver, would you Eddie? No. My little buddy would never do that to me!” Oliver blows a few raspberries on Eddies belly, eliciting more giggles from him. 

Eddie seems to be entranced by everything around them. The butterflies. The bird cages hanging from the trees in the garden. Oliver can hear Hope explaining to her friends that the reason they are having the party at Oliver’s house is be he is her best friend.

 

“Thank for all of this Oliver. It means so much to Hope. And to me. This really is so beautiful and more than anything I could have imagined or done for her. This is really special.” 

The look Felicity gives him says just how much she appreciates everything that Oliver has done and continues to do for her and her kids.  
“I can’t take any of the credit,” Oliver admits softly. 

“This was all my grandmother.” He observes Felicity as she takes in everything from the wooden table with the cake and party supplies, to the decorations, to the happy children playing freely in this garden wonderland. 

“I think my mother and grandmother were happy to have something to distract themselves with everything going on with my dad.”  
“How is your sister doing?” Felicity asks with a hint of worry in her voice.

 

Turning to watch his sister play with all the little girls, attempting to catch the fake butterflies with nets, he sighs. “She’s not really talking about it. But I think this is helping her have a bit of normalcy I her life.”

 

After a moment to take in his response, Felicity politely inquired, “And how is Isabel? I’m sorry about what happened with her dress. I hope she liked the biscuits I sent her.”

“Yes, she did,” Oliver lied as he gave her a big smile. He was not about to tell her Isabel practically threw a tantrum exclaiming, ‘Why would I want biscuits? I don’t want to get fat!’ Felicity didn’t need any more reasons to feel guilty regarding Isabel.  
“Hope helped me make them,” Felicity stated. “And Caitlin, too.”

“Thank God,” Oliver teased. “I thought they tasted too good to be your cooking!”  
Her jaw dropping in shock, Felicity shot back at him, “That’s not funny. I’m not that bad a cooking.” 

Oliver just quirked his eyebrow at her. “Okay. Okay,” Felicity pouted, “I know my cooking sucks.” She paused before giving him an imploring look. “But I try so hard. I just don’t understand how I keep messing everything up?”

Oliver laughed heartily at that, and soon Felicity was joining him in his mirth.  
“You know,” Felicity smirked as their laughter subsided, “you look so cute covered in glitter, wearing fairy wings, and holding my little boy on your lap.”

“Yeah. Who would have ever guessed that Ollie Queen would be attending a child’s birthday party?” A voice declared from behind them. Turning around they found Tommy grinning massively, and holding a stuffed unicorn.

“Hi, Tommy,” Oliver acknowledged.  
“And this little man looks so cute,” Tommy remarked. “I bet he never wants to grow up, does he?”

Eddie just looked at Tommy with a goofy grin. One of the things that amazes Oliver is how easily people fall in love with Felicity and her children.

“Well, this little boy needs to take a nap,” Felicity declared, “so I will be taking him now.” Felicity reclaimed Eddie from Oliver, and he proceeded to snuggle into her chest. “Yeah. 

I think he’s tired.” She started to walk off before turning back to Tommy. “Hope is over there with all the other princesses and fairies,” she laughed. “Good luck.”  
“Speaking of your good luck, I’m still waiting for you to get back to me about that date.” Tommy waggled his eyebrows at Felicity.

“In your dreams, Merlyn,” Felicity snarked.  
“You know that’s where you are, babe,” Tommy shouted. 

“In my dreams!” “Jeez, Tommy,” Oliver bit out under his breath. “There are kids here!”

“It’s not like they know what I mean, Ollie.” Tommy winked at him, causing Oliver to roll his eyes.

“You’d be surprised.” Tommy continued to stare after Felicity as she disappeared down the hall. “Seriously, though, Oliver. I can’t understand why you haven’t gone there.” Oliver turned and glared at Tommy. 

“One, she’s my friend. Two, I’m engaged.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” Tommy stated flippantly. “Who cares about the Ice Queen, though? I still don’t understand why you are marrying her. 

She would be perfect for my dad.”  
“Tommy, you know why I am marrying her. It’s for business.” Oliver sighed. “And I do love her,” Oliver tried to convince Tommy. And possibly himself.

“So if you didn’t have marry Isabel as part of some arrangement, you probably wouldn’t be with her,” Tommy posited, “you would be with a certain beautiful blonde, whose children you adore, and…”

“Oh, look.” Oliver cut Tommy off before he could conclude that Oliver was in love with Felicity. “We’re going to cut the cake.”

Tommy rolled his eyes. If his friend was unwilling to go after Felicity, then he would be most certainly would. 

He just wants his friend to be happy. And if Oliver is happy with the ice queen, the he will be happy for him. However, Tommy isn’t convinced one bit that Oliver is completely head over heels in love with Felicity. 

He follows after Oliver, and when he catches up to him he hears him explaining to Felicity that Slade Wilson is coming to town, and he would really like Felicity to meet him. Tommy shivers just thinking about that man. Slade Wilson scares the shit out of him.

As it is getting dark, all of the kids are beginning to gather around the bonfire with the adults roasting marshmallows, while continuing to listen to Disney music. 

In that moment, a song from the movie Tangled begins to play. 

Oliver’s grandmother starts dancing with Hope, and Oliver gets up to dance with Felicity, joining others who are dancing to the song.

And at last I see the light  
And it’s like the fog has lifted

Oliver pulled Felicity in tight as they swayed to the music. “I’ve had a really nice time today, just relaxing and having fun,” Felicity spoke softly.

And at last I see the light  
And it’s like the sky is new  
And it’s warm and real and bright

Oliver looked down at Felicity and spoke softly. “I’m glad that you are enjoying yourself. 

You are a wonderful mother and you deserve these kind of moments.” Silence settled between them momentarily before Oliver spoke again. “Is Cooper taking Hope anywhere for her birthday?”

Felicity drew her gaze away from Oliver to glance down at the floor. Placing a finger under her chin to draw her face back up so that he could look her in the eye, Oliver beseeched, “What’s wrong?”

And the world has somehow shifted

“I just have this feeling that he is going to cancel on her.” While Felicity tried to remain strong and positive for the sake her children’s relationship with their father, it was hard to hide the hurt that was evident in her eyes. 

He had let her and the kids down in so many ways. “He is supposed to be taking her to see the new Disney movie Tangled.”

“Is that the movie this music is from?” Oliver queried, indicating the music to which they were currently dancing.

“Yeah.” Felicity whispered. “She loves it.”  
“Well,” Oliver encouraged, “if he cancels on you, you can always call me and I will take her.”

A warm, beautiful smile lit up Felicity’s face, reaching her eyes that we glassy with unshed tears. “Thank you, Oliver,” she whispered softly. “Really. For everything.”

All at once everything looks different  
Now that I see you

Oliver smiles before dropping Felicity in deep dip as the song finished. “I love this song. Since I’ve met you and Hope, I’ve come to love Disney.”

Her smile softening, Felicity agrees, “That’s what happens when you have kids.”  
Smiling back wistfully, Oliver rebuts, “No. 

That’s what happens when you have Felicity Smoak and her beautiful children in your life.”

 

\------------ ( End Flashback ) ---------------.


	11. Pig

Oliver is brought back into the moment by an inquisitive Eddie. “Is this where the Avatar people live?” He is looking up at Oliver with the most hopeful expression he has ever seen.

“Yes, buddy,” Oliver says not wanting to deter Eddie’s imagination. “But they aren’t here at the moment.”  
“This is so beautiful.” Hope gazes in awe at her surroundings, her mind trying to absorb as much as possible.

Sara, who is walking hand in hand with Oliver, agrees. “Yeah. This is beautiful.”  
With an excited squeal, Eddie pointed into the bushes. “Look! There’s a pig.”  
“Oh. It’s so cute,” Felicity awed. “It looks just like Babe!”

In confusion, and feeling a bit nervous about their situation, Oliver lies as he agrees with them. He doesn’t think this pig is cute at all. 

In fact, he thinks it looks a little more demonic than pig like. 

As if to confirm his thoughts, the pig turns and charges at the group causing them to run screaming. In his panic, Oliver shoves Tommy at the pig yelling, “Protect us, Tommy!”

Tripping over tree roots in his haste to escape, Tommy finds himself sprawled on the ground with the pig baring down on him. It doesn’t take long for the pig to catch up and start attacking him. 

Tommy yells for the other to come help him, but they have gotten so far ahead that they don’t hear his cries for help. ‘Some friends they are,’ Tommy thinks as he fends off the pig. 

Getting in a few good kicks to the pig’s side and head, eventually it loses interest and takes off, leaving Tommy a bit bruised but thankfully still in one piece. 

Tommy starts plotting ways that he can get back at Oliver for throwing him to the wolves. Or pig, as it was in this case!

It doesn’t take long for Tommy to catch up with the others after his escape from the crazed pig. “Thank for that, by the way Oliver,” Tommy bites out. 

He would really like to take a swing at Oliver at this point, but decides that a fist fight in front of the kids isn’t going to get him on anyone’s good side. 

Of course, Felicity beats him to the punch and slugs Oliver in the shoulder.  
“You threw your best friend in front of wild animal to save your own skin?” Felicity asked incredulously. “Honestly, Oliver. How would you have felt if Tommy had been seriously hurt?”

Oliver, at least, had the decency to look sorry. “I’m really sorry, Tommy,” he pleaded. “I just panicked! If there is any way I can make it up to you, let me know.” Oliver wasn’t proud of his actions in that moment.

Tommy huffed resignedly. “Just…don’t do it again. Otherwise I might just have to enlist Smoaky here to help me get revenge on your aaa…uh, on you,” Tommy pointed out catching himself before the profanities slipped out in front of the kids.

 

After they all catch their breathes and make sure that no one has been seriously harmed, they decide to continue their hike. 

Before long they come to a spot that requires them to climb. 

Sara is leading the way with Tommy right behind. He is helping Sara up while staring at her backside. She had opted to wear very short, tight shorts, and he can see a tattoo of a canary in a bird cage just over the top of her very low slung shorts. 

Oliver is helping Eddie and Hope up the ledge. Felicity starts to climb up by herself but slips and falls. Oliver, who is still at the bottom catches her in his arms before she can crash to the ground.

 

“Careful,” Oliver says chuckling breathlessly as he holds on to Felicity. When Oliver continues to hold her longer than is necessary, Felicity clears her throat.  
“I need to get up the hill, Oliver,” Felicity states sheepishly. 

Oliver quickly sets he back on her feet and proceeds to help her up to prevent her from falling again. Eddie calls out, “Mommy, I see a Pokemon up here!”  
“Well, go catch it, sweetie,” Felicity encourages.

“You know that game is for kids, Felicity,” Oliver laughs, “not adults.”  
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it Oliver,” Felicity snarks back at him. “Cisco and Barry love that game.”

“Yeah, because they’re nerds,” Oliver mutters under his breath.  
“Hey,” Felicity chides. “Don’t mock us nerds! Remember that this nerd’s fingers have helped you before…And I didn’t mean it like that!” Felicity started to blush so she quickly climbed the rest of the hill before anything more embarrassing could escape her mouth.

Eventually the group reached a spot where they could rent kayaks. Oliver rode with Eddie, Felicity rode with Hope, and Sara and Tommy each had their own kayaks. 

Sara was again leading the way. 

She had opted to strip down to her bikini, and Tommy couldn’t keep himself from staring at her ass. As Felicity paddled up alongside Tommy, she wacked him in the arm with her paddle.

“Eyes on the river, honey,” she smirked.  
“I was just enjoying the view of the canyon, sweetie,” Tommy said with a cheeky grin on his face.

“I’ll be you were,” Felicity muttered, shaking her head.  
They enjoy the relaxing ride along the river, and before long they reach the point where they are to exit the kayaks and continue their hike on foot.

Eventually the group comes across a wooden hanging bridge that looks like it has been there for a very long time. They begin crossing the bridge as a group with Sara leading the way and Oliver bringing up the rear. 

As they near the middle, a voice calls up from below, “That bridge is only meant to hold one person at a time.” The kids start screaming, and the group starts rushing across the bridge as quickly as possible. 

Everyone except Oliver, who hadn’t heard the warning. “What did the guy say?” Oliver asks. Everyone else is nearly on the other side as Oliver takes another step and the paneling breaks. 

His leg slips through the gap causing him to get hit in the crotch. Barely catching himself from swearing, Oliver squeaks out a “Fudge,” before curling onto his back in the middle of the bridge.

“You know,” Tommy yells back across the ravine, “I think I might just have to call us even now for that stunt with the pig. Anything else I could have come up with just wouldn’t be nearly as satisfying.” Tommy is nearly doubled over in laughter.

“Are you going to be okay?” Sara asks at the same time Felicity asks, “Do you need any help?”

Oliver groans and waves them off. “Just give me a minute.” Oliver takes a couple minutes to get himself together before rolling to his knees and slowly standing. He carefully shuffles the rest of the way across the bridge where he lays back down. “I’m going to need just a few more minutes.”

Tommy has managed to mostly stifle his laughter, and Oliver glares at him periodically in protest. Everyone else takes the opportunity to rest and hydrate. Eventually they are all able to continue, and Oliver is even able to offer Hope a piggy-back ride. 

Yet even that doesn’t go as planned as Oliver slips and Hope ends up landing face first in a mud puddle. Helping Hope up, Oliver can’t help but laugh. “You’ve got a little something on your face,” Oliver indicates pointing his finger at her face and drawing a circle to indicate it’s everywhere.

“Thanks,” Hope smiles dangerously before taking a handful of mud and throwing it at Oliver. “You are just like your mom,” Oliver laughs.  
“No,” Hope retorted, “I’m not. My mom has terrible aim. You remember that trip you took her on?”

Oliver shook his head at the memory. “She was absolutely awful at paintball,” he mused. “And I still can’t figure out how she got an arrow into that electrical socket.”  
It wasn’t long before the finally reached a waterfall. 

At the base of the waterfall was a large pool of water that fed into a series of smaller waterfalls along the river. “Wow. This is so beautiful,” Sara exclaimed. “You know. I feel like I have been saying that a lot on this hike, but it is so true.”

“Oh my gosh. This is absolutely amazing.” Felicity gaped in wonder at the site before her when she rounded the last corner along their path. “Eddie. Hope. Come look at this!”

“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to go for a swim.” Sara starts to head over into the bushes. “I’m going over in here to get changed.”  
“There might be pigs in there,” Oliver warns. “And snakes.”

Stripping out of her sports bra and shorts, Sara is left in a bright orange bikini. She walks to the side of the waterfall and jumps in. Watching her is like watching something out of a movie in slow motion. 

She swims around for a bit before calling to the others to join her. “Guys. The water is awesome. You’ve got to come on in. Come on, Ollie. Join me!”  
Felicity leans over to Oliver and say under her breath, “She wears that bikini really well.”

“Yes, she does,” Tommy agrees. “You know I would look really good wearing her, too.”  
“God, Tommy,” Felicity gaped at him. “You are worse than I am.”  
“No. No one is as bad as you Smoaky,” Tommy huffed in amusement. “Remember when you asked my dad to see his crown jewels?”

“I meant his computers!” Felicity gawked. “And I was thoroughly embarrassed at the time, and I would really like to forget the incident ever happened!” Felicity slapped Tommy on the arm in protest before turning her attention back to the view before her.

Meanwhile, Oliver was trying to get Hope to play him up for Sara. “I need you to jump down into the pool and say ‘I love my daddy’,” Oliver smiled at Hope.  
“When are the lies going to stop?” Felicity shook her head at Oliver.

Running to the edge and jumping in, Hope yelled, “I love my daddy,” before she hit the water below. Hard. “That looks like it hurt,” Oliver winced.  
“You okay sweetie?” Felicity inquired.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Hope answered. “You should come in, too.”  
Turning to Eddie, Oliver said, “Come on Eddie. 

It’s your turn now.” Eddie walks up to his mom and tugs on her hand until she bends down so that he can whisper in her ear. “Come on, Eddie,” Oliver repeats. Standing up, Felicity turns to Oliver and states, “No.” 

“The water is too deep,” Eddie admits looking up at Oliver.  
“Too deep for what?” Oliver inquires confusedly.  
“He can’t swim,” Felicity says in a quiet voice.

“He can’t swim, but he wants to swim with the dolphins? 

That makes a lot of sense!” Oliver snaps, not really meaning the words to come out as harshly as they do. Eddie drops his gaze to his feet. “I guess I didn’t think that through.”

“Jesus,” Oliver says, losing his patience a little bit more. 

“I’ve spent all this money for you to come to Hawaii so that you could go swimming with the dolphins and you can’t even swim. This whole time I could have been here with just Sara having sex by ourselves just like I planned, but no. 

You wanted to go swimming with the dolphins!”  
“Oliver, stop it,” Felicity snapped before looking at him pointedly.

“Don’t forget what got us to this point in the first place!”  
Taking a deep breath, Oliver attempted to get his irritation under control. “Nobody taught you how to swim.”

“My dad was supposed to teach me, but he has been really busy with his new girlfriend lately,” Eddie admitted. 

Oliver’s temper rose again for a different reason. 

He clenched his jaw. Just thinking about Cooper made him angry. He really hated him, and had offered to beat the shit out of him for Felicity at one point.


	12. I need to do a Helena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter is a flashback have to say thank you to my amazing beta Emily you do such good job.

And while Felicity was grateful that Oliver was willing to stand up for her, she didn’t want to do anything that would risk giving Cooper custody of her kids. 

He is currently living in Central City with a different woman than the one he was texting with originally. 

Felicity had a fair amount of money and when Cooper left, he tried to take some of Felicity’s money, claiming that he had helped her create the program that got earned her that wealth. 

When Oliver discovered what Cooper was trying to do, he became so angry he wanted to hunt Cooper down and kill him.  
Oliver had met Felicity when she was four month pregnant with Eddie. 

They had quickly become friends, and when it was time for Felicity to give birth to Eddie, Oliver wouldn’t have been anywhere else except waiting at the hospital. 

He had waited outside her room the whole time she was there while she gave birth.

\--------- ( Flashback – 5 years ago ) ---------

Oliver crept into the room where Felicity was staying. He couldn’t help but be in awe as he watched her sitting there with the most beautiful little boy in her arms.  
“Wow,” Oliver whispered. “He is so small.”

Felicity smiled at Oliver before returning her gaze back to the baby. “Yes, he is,” she smiled as she brushed her fingers delicately over his cheek.

The peaceful moment was broken by Hope running into the room with her grandmother hot on her heals exclaiming, “I’m the big sister!” Seeing Oliver, she ran up to him and he picked her up.

“Yes, you are!” Oliver agreed with a big grin.  
“Do you want to hold him?” Felicity looked up at him still smiling softly. 

Oliver just stared blankly at her. He had only ever held his baby sister. He was sixteen and the time and didn’t really want a sibling. 

But when he went into the room and saw his baby sister for the first time, his whole outlook on being a big brother changed. “Oliver?” Felicity’s voice pulled him back into the moment.

Setting Hope down, Oliver approaches Felicity.   
She gently passes the baby to Oliver. “Carefully hold his head. 

Make sure you are supporting it, and place your arms under him.” Oliver does as she instructs, then holds his finger out for the little boy to grab.  
“He is so soft.” Oliver is so enamored by this beautiful little baby who is so much like Felicity with blue eyes. 

He, however, has brown hair, unlike his mother’s blonde. In that moment he remembers that she dyes it and her natural color is brown.  
“Soon I can dress him up!” Hope exclaims cheerfully.

“What is his name?” Oliver inquires, looking at Felicity. “Hope, would you like to tell him?” Felicity asks her daughter. Hope, who is three years old, say, “His name is Ed-d,” obviously struggling to get the boy’s name out.

“His name is Eddie Jonas Smoak,” Felicity finishes. “I hope you don’t mind. You’ve been there for me so much that I just wanted him to have a piece of you.”  
Oliver beams, then leans over and kisses Felicity on the cheek. 

“It’s perfect!” Eddie chooses that moment to start crying, so Oliver hands him back to Felicity so that she can feed him. Oliver leaves the room to give her some privacy and finds her mother, Donna, staring at her phone.

“Are you okay?” Oliver asks Donna.  
When Donna looks up at Oliver, he sees that there are tears in her eyes. “He’s not here,” she laments. “This is the birth of his son. How can he not be here?” Then her face hardens and she bites out, “God. 

That man disgusts me!” Oliver knows who she is referring to. Felicity’s husband, Cooper, is a total prick, and a dick, and any other horrible name he could possibly come up with.

A few minutes later, Diggle and Laurel arrive. “How is she?” they both inquire.  
“She’s fine. 

She’s had a healthy little boy named Eddie.” Oliver is starting to get a little emotional, and is trying desperately to hold the tears back. “He is the most beautiful little boy I have ever seen.” 

He didn’t notice the knowing smile that Laurel gave Diggle. All of their friends have a bet going on as to how long it will take Oliver to realize that he is in love with Felicity. 

And it seems as if Felicity is just as much in love with Oliver. Despite the fact that Oliver was known as a playboy, he was also known to be very loyal to those he loved. 

That included his mother, his baby sister, and now Felicity and her children. In fact, he was a godparent to both of her children.

 

At that moment, Hope came of the room exclaiming, “Nana, I need to do a Helena.”  
Donna picks her up saying, “Hey, sweetheart.” 

She looks over at a confused Oliver and explains, “Felicity doesn’t like her saying ‘poo’ or ‘crap’ so she came up with the idea of using Helena’s name, who was a girl from high school that was horrible to her.” Oliver just nods as Donna heads off with Hope for the bathroom.

 

Several minutes later Donna returns with Cooper in tow, who is carrying a bunch of flowers for Felicity. Cooper walks right passed Oliver into Felicity’s room. Oliver really cannot stand that man. 

Oliver looks through the door in the window to see Felicity holding Eddie. She tries to hand him to Cooper who just smiles and explains that he is sorry for being late, but he couldn’t help it since the trains were all mucked up.

Oliver continues to stare longingly at the scene before him, smiling. He really wants that. He is getting to the point where he doesn’t want the meaningless hook-ups and one night stands. He wants a family. 

He wants somebody who knows every part of him and doesn’t put up with his bullshit. He can’t seem to take his eyes off Felicity and Eddie. 

His attention is drawn back to his surroundings by his little sister coming to stand next to him.

“It’s crazy,” she muses, “but I feel like Felicity’s family is our family.”  
Oliver looks down to his little sister. “Yes, Speedy. Yes, she is.”

\---------( End Flashback )---------


	13. " That amazing body of yours"

Contemplating the lack of a fatherly influence in Eddie’s life, Oliver let his frustration dissipate.

Taking a deep breath, Oliver looked to Eddie and in a calmer tone responded, “That’s okay Eddie.

We can still enjoy our vacation.”  
Sara chose that moment to call out, “Oliver. You’ve got to come in here.

This water is fantastic!” Oliver turned his attention to her and immediately forgot about everything else. She was standing under the waterfall, water traveling down every curve of her body.

She looked like a goddess, and he wouldn’t have minded worshipping her like one in this moment, either. “Come on, Oliver,” Sara pleaded enticingly. “It’s so magical in here. You’ve got to come in.”

Oliver desperately wanted to join Sara in that moment, but he was feeling self-conscious about removing his shirt in front of Sara. She had yet to see him in the light without his shirt on, and his torso was covered in scars.

When Oliver’s father died, he was overcome with guilt at the fact that their last moments together were spent angry with each other.

Oliver’s father had wanted Oliver to join him on a boat trip, but Oliver had refused knowing that his father wanted ‘bonding time’ to talk about his future with the family company.

When the boat was lost at sea, guilt began to eat away at Oliver. He spent his time trying to drown his guilt in alcohol, and two weeks after his father died, Oliver got into a serious car accident that resulted in the scars that now covered his torso.

He was very fortunate that no one else was involved in the accident, and it was a bit of a wake-up call to make some changes in his life.

 

As Oliver stood there contemplating his choices, he became aware of Felicity observing him. Unlike Sara, Felicity had seen his scars.

In fact, the first time she had seen them, she had walked in on him working out, and babbled not about his scars, but about his body and how sweaty he was. He was fairly certain there were a few unintended sexual innuendos thrown in as well.

He admitted in that moment to her that he was feeling self-conscious because of the shocked reaction he received from a woman he was dating at the time.

The woman practically interrogated him regarding his scars, and he shut down. He wasn’t ready to talk with her about them, but she wouldn’t let up.

There was a mix of pity and disgust on her face that dug at Oliver’s sense of worth. But with Felicity, it was different.

She made note of the scars but she pointed out to him was how his scars weren’t something to be ashamed of but rather something that showed he was a survivor. She never made him feel uncomfortable, and when he was around just her he almost forgot his scars were there.

 

But leave it to Felicity to notice his discomfort in that moment. “You know, Oliver, I read your accident report. You shouldn’t be alive.” Keeping their gazes on the waterfall before them they stood in silence a few moments longer.

“And when you meet the right person, they won’t even really notice the scars.

They will see you for you, and will wait until you are ready to share about them.”  
“Yeah,” Oliver sighed in reluctant agreement.

 

“I’ve got something ‘magical’ in my pants,” Tommy declared holding his hand up for a high-five, drawing Oliver out of his contemplative mood.  
“I’m not going to high-five you for getting turned on looking at my girlfriend,” Oliver glared at Tommy.

“You are so weird, Tommy,” Felicity said, rolling her eyes. “And there are children here,” she reprimanded while indicating Eddie. Tommy turned to high-five Eddie. “Tommy!” Felicity snapped.

“Stop!” Addressing Eddie, Felicity softened her voice. “I think Mommy is going to have a dip in these magical waters, honey. Will you be okay here with Oliver and Tommy?”

Oliver gave Felicity a strange look. She had never been willing to publicly uncover her swimsuit. He was a little curious as he had never seen her in a bikini.

Oliver jokingly stated, “Do you have some kind of swimsuit from the 1920’s on under there?”

Rolling her eyes as she glanced back at him, Felicity huffed, “You’re the worst. And, no, I don’t.” She began stripping off her shorts.  
“Don’t do it!” Oliver teased.

 

The  bikinis of Felicity and Sara.  

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/919663237951578119>

 

Felicity removed her shirt revealing a bright red bikini. Oliver went quiet, staring at her sinfully gorgeous curves.

His jaw dropped when she bent over to collect her discarded clothing. He knew she had a fantastic backside, but he couldn’t help but think that was the best ass he had ever seen.

Words continued to escape him as she turned around to face him. He found her breasts enticingly full, complimented by a flat stomach and a beautiful tan. And he was even more surprised to find she an arrow tattoo on her hip.

“Oliver, I need to be alone right now,” Tommy practically drooled, eyes glued to Felicity.

Nodding absently, Oliver muttered, “Maybe I need to start using Pokemon.”  
“Mommy has spinning courses and started doing boxing,” Eddie’s cute voice cut into Oliver’s thoughts.

He could feel his shorts getting a little tight, and moved to adjust himself a bit. “And she had been eating a lot of slimming, ready-made meals.” When Oliver quirked a questioning eyebrow at Eddie’s comment, he responded, “We both know Mommy can’t cook. That’s why we were so happy when Raisa told us she would be cooking for us on Wednesdays.”

 

Oliver smileed at the memory of when he offered to have Raisa teach Felicity to cook.

He thought that Raisa, much like he, loved to spend time with Felicity and her children. She brought so much joy into their lives.

Not wanting to leave Eddie, Oliver opted to stay with him at the edge of the pool. They watched Tommy approach the top of the waterfall. “Is he wearing my pants?” Eddie asked.

 

“No,” Oliver chuckled. “Tommy just has a weird fascination with Ninja Turtles.” Raising his voice, he called out to Tommy, “I guarantee you are going to fall!”  
“No I won’t,” Tommy denied just before he slipped and eall hard into the water.

 

From their spot on a rock at the edge of the pool, Felicity and Sara shook their heads. “He’s okay,” Sara called out. “He’ll be fine,” Felicity reassured.

They all spent time enjoying the relaxing atmosphere at the waterfall and the pool below it before they decided it is time to head back to the hotel.

As they exited the vehicle at the hotel, Oliver pulled Sara aside. “I was hoping we could take a walk,” he leaned in closer to her ear, whispering, “just the two of us.” He nibbled gently on her ear, “We can ditch the children.”

But Sara seemed determined to thwart his plans. “Tommy and Felicity watched the kids last night. It’s our turn.” When all she got from Oliver was an incredulous glare, she questioned, “Don’t you take turns?”

“No. No no no,” Oliver denied vehemently. “No, we do not. I had them today, so that counts as me having them.” He really wanted to dissuade this line of thought.

This vacation was supposed to be just him and Sara, but that hadn’t turned out the way he wanted. He really hoped to get sometime alone with her. “I have them during the day and Felicity gets them at night,” Oliver insisted.

Disregarding Oliver’s desperate attempt to provide them privacy, Sara offered to Felicity and Tommy, “Do you want us to look after the kids so you can have some alone time?”

Standing behind Sara, Oliver sent a pleading glance to Felicity, mouthing ‘no’. “Oh, no. Don’t worry,” Felicity attempted to help Oliver out, but Tommy interjected, “Yes.

Yes, we do.” Winking at Oliver and Sara, Tommy continued, “We are going to be together, so you can look after the kids. I want some alone time with my Smoaky!” Tommy proceeded to end the conversation by pushing Felicity and her kids towards their hotel room.

“I guess we are looking after the kids,” Oliver tried to hide his grumble.

Sara leaned up to kiss his cheek and whisper in his ear, “Don’t worry. The kids go to sleep really early. Felicity told me.” With that Sara sauntered after Tommy, Felicity and the kids, leaving Oliver to trail at the end, hoping that at some point during this vacation he might actually get to spend time with Sara as he originally had intended.

A few hours later Felicity brought the kids to Oliver’s room.

“Do you two want to see the view from the balcony?” Sara asked excitedly to Eddie and Hope. “I think I saw some dolphins out their earlier.” She clapped her hands gleefully.

“That sounds cool,” Oliver encouraged to the kids.  
“I love dolphins!” Eddie exclaimed and started babbling facts about them to Sara.

Hope hugged Felicity and kissed her on the cheek. “Good night mom,” she smiled before joining Eddie and Sara on the balcony.

Oliver walked Felicity to the door.

He could tell she was nervous so he put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in encouragement. “I’ve looked after them before. They are going to be just fine. Tommy and I used to babysit Speedy all the time.”

“Knowing you and Tommy used to babysit together doesn’t exactly make me feel any better about you watching my kids,” Felicity smirked.

“Hey,” Oliver said gently, “I just want you to enjoy your night.” Removing his hand from her shoulder and wiggling his eyebrows suggestively, he continued, “It’s your night. Go play some Pokemon, or shock everyone with that amazing body of yours.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” Felicity attempted to redirect the conversation. “I’m just going to sit in my room,” she denied, “and think about my kids, who will be hanging out with you.”

“Come on,” Oliver pressed. “You know what I mean. Why have you been hiding that smoking body from me, Felicity?” Oliver inquired with a smile.

Ducking her head to hide the blush forming on her cheeks, Felicity fidgeted with her hair, brushing it behind her ear. “I don’t know what you mean. I’m just worried about the kids. I haven’t been separated from them in ages.

Cooper hasn’t ever had them, so they’ve never really spent any time away from me.”

“Look,” Oliver offered kindly, “why don’t you go enjoy a nice dinner with Tommy? I can talk to him to make sure he is on his best behavior.” Suddenly Oliver’s expression cooled. “Is Tommy not good enough? Do you need Ray to go to dinner with?” Oliver attempted to mock Ray by doing his imitation of Ray’s ‘creepy eyes’.

“Ray’s appearance really bothered you that much?” Felicity questioned in disbelief. “I’m the one who went on a date with him, so it shouldn’t really matter to you what he looks like!”

“Wait a minute,” Oliver interrupted. “You actually went on a date with him?” He questioned in disbelief.

“I told you I was!” Felicity said exasperatedly. Throwing her hands in the air Felicity accused, “God. You don’t listen!”

“I thought he was asking you to dinner but you were going to say ‘no’ like you normally do.” Oliver laughed. “You fell for his creepy eyes, didn’t you?”  
“I don’t even understand the whole ‘creepy eyes’ bit,” Felicity said in exasperation.

“It’s how one of his eye goes lazy sometimes. It looks kind of creepy,” Oliver continued to poke fun.

“It doesn’t do that,” Felicity huffed in denial. When Oliver snorts in disagreement, Felicity continued, “Normally you are commenting how much time I spend watching ‘Dr. Who’.

“And normally he is trying to look at your face,” Oliver retorted, “but instead, his lazy eye is busy staring at your breasts!”

“One, he doesn’t do that,” Felicity defended. “And two, how do you know that he is looking at my breasts? For you to know that he is looking at my breasts must mean that you are looking at them, as well, Oliver!” Taking a deep breath, Felicity gave Oliver a knowing smirk.

“You know, Oliver, Ray managed to make it through a whole dinner without lying and pretending that he has a wife.”

Oliver’s lips turned up slyly, he clutched at his heart. “Oh. That hurt Felicity.”  
Turning a bit more serious, Felicity kept the smile on her face.

“You know, Oliver, it might not be very nice, but it is the truth.” Felicity started to turn towards the door before the threw over her shoulder, “And I am planning on going on another date with Ray when we get back.”

An unwanted surge of jealousy flared before Oliver tamped it down, pasting a smile on his face. “Okay,” Oliver tried to sound unaffected.

“Please look after the kids,” Felicity beseeched one last time before heading out the door.

“I will, Felicity.” Oliver assured her. “Just go enjoy your night.”  
As Felicity disappeared through the door, Oliver turned his attention back to Sara and the kids, and did his best to ignore the strange emotions that Felicity occasionally evoked in him.

He really needed to get some alone time with Sara!


	14. “Name something that makes you sad.”

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Sara, Hope and Eddie decide to spend their time together playing a game.

Oliver, Sara, Hope and Eddie decide to spend their time together playing a game. 

They take turns asking questions and then everyone gets a chance to answer.  
When it is Hopes turn, she asks, “If you could be anyone, who would it be?”  
“Katy Perry!” Sara answers. “I love her song, ‘Swish Swish’.  
“That’s a cool person to be,” Hope admits.

Looking to Oliver, Sara asks, “Who would you want to be?”  
“I’m just happy being me,” Oliver admits.  
“What about you, Eddie?” Sara asks next.

“I want to be Mr. Park,” Eddie announces decidedly.  
“The postman?” Hope’s eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

“It just seems like he has it all figured out,” Eddie states matter-of-factly.  
Hope snorts in amusement. “You are so weird sometimes.”  
“That is very deep, Eddie,” Oliver chuckles.

Sara smiles, shaking her head. “Wow. That’s just…alright then, moving on.”  
Oliver pulls another card from the game and reads, “Name something that makes you sad.”

Hope speaks up, “That Judy Dench never won an Oscar.” She shakes her head muttering, “It’s just too sad.”

“That N’Sync broke up,” answers Sara depressingly.  
“That one was hard on everyone,” Oliver comforts her, rubbing her back.  
“Who is N’Sync?” Eddie asks. Hope looks at Eddie in confusion to which he continues with a shrug of his shoulders, “I don’t know.”

“That’s just so sad,” Oliver responds, shaking his head. “Alright Eddie, you’re up. Name something that makes you sad.”

“I don’t want to say mine,” Eddie says quietly, averting his gaze from everyone. Eddie looks so sad that Oliver decides to just move on, but Sara moves close to Eddie, encouraging him to share.

“You can share anything with us Eddie. This is a safe space,” Sara softly encourages.

“That’s right, Eddie,” Oliver agrees. “You know you can tell us anything, right?” When it looks like Eddie is about to break down in tears, Oliver second guesses himself, thinking that maybe they are pushing him too far. “Maybe we shouldn’t push this right now, Sara.”  
“Oliver,” Sara argues, “he really needs to let this out.”

They all turn to look at Eddie, encouraging him silently to share whatever it is that is bothering him. But Eddie continues to look at the floor, avoiding anyone’s gaze. Eddie mutters, “My dad doesn’t have time for me,” before he bursts into tears.

Hope moves to cuddle him, and speaks comforting words to him as she rocks him in her grasp. “It’s okay, Eddie. Mom loves us. And Mom says that Dad loves us in his own way.” 

She wipes the tears from his face as she continues to comfort him. “It’s okay. It’s fine. Shhhh. We all love you, Eddie.”

Sara glares at Oliver, and for a moment Oliver had forgotten that he was pretending to be Eddie and Hope’s dad. By now, Eddie is bawling uncontrollably while Hope lets him know that they don’t need their dad in their lives. 

Sara gets up and walks away in anger. Oliver is worried. 

He needs to comfort Eddie and help calm him down, but he also needs to deal with Sara. The lies he has been telling her are starting to catch up with him and now they are causing problems between the two of them.

 

“Sara,” Oliver calls after her as she walks into one of the bedrooms. “It’s not how it looks. It was a long time ago,” he attempts to explain.

 

But by now Eddie is crying very loudly, his head laying on the coffee table, and Sara isn’t responding positively to anything Oliver is saying. 

“I just need to be on my own for a bit,” Sara says, refusing to look at Oliver, a pained look on her face. She grabs her bag and heads out the door, leaving Oliver to deal with Eddie and Hope on his own.

Oliver heads over to Eddie, picking him up before settling on the couch. “I’m here for you, Buddy,” Oliver says softly, hugging him tightly to his chest. 

Hope gets up and joins them on the couch, grabbing Oliver and hugging him, as well. 

He wipes a few tears from Eddie’s cheeks. “My Dad wasn’t always with me,” says Oliver sadly. “He didn’t do a lot of things with me, and it didn’t seem like he had a lot of time for me. 

But you know what Eddie? 

I know that my dad loved me a lot. And I know that your dad doesn’t always show it, but I know that he loves you, too.” It hurts Oliver deeply saying these things to Eddie because he knows that Cooper is a terrible father.

Felicity always told Oliver that Cooper was a wonderful father when Hope was born, but their marriage slowly started to fall apart after that. 

By the time that she had discovered that she was pregnant with Eddie and informed Cooper of that fact, they had already decided to split up. 

Cooper wasn’t interested in making things work. It didn’t help that Cooper was already spending a lot of time texting another woman, possibly even engaging in a physical relationship with her, but Oliver doesn’t like to think on that fact too much. What he really doesn’t understand is how Cooper doesn’t want to be around his children at all. 

Oliver finds them to have beautiful spirits, and thinks they are just perfect. It may be a bit strange, but that is what he really loves about them and their mom. It amazes him every time Felicity tells him something about the kids. 

Just as amazing was his discovery today of how physically beautiful Felicity was as well. He always knew she was pretty, but when he saw her in her swimsuit this afternoon he realized she was sexy, too. 

He had had a hard time getting his body not to betray just how sexy he found her. Hope giving him an extra squeeze draws him back to the kids as they continue to hug each other as Eddie slowly calms down. In this moment Oliver is reminded just how much he loves these kids.

An hour later Oliver puts Hope and Eddie to bed. 

Once they are tucked in, Oliver sits down next to Eddie and asks, “Why did you get so upset earlier?”

“I had my spelling bee last Friday,” Eddie admits, “and my dad was supposed to come, but he couldn’t.” The sad look returns to Eddie’s face as he continues, “And he was supposed to take me home afterwards. 

I waited for over an hour and he never came. Since he found out his new girlfriend is pregnant and that he is going to have a boy, he doesn’t have time for us anymore.” Eddie looks down at his hands in his lap. “That’s what I thought of when you asked me to name something sad.” 

Eddies looks like he is about to be swallowed up in this huge bed, as his sadness makes him shrink into himself.

Oliver feels so guilty. 

He had been in these kid’s and Felicity’s lives for five years. He was there for so many things, but over the last two years had slowly started drifting away from them. When he met Isabel, he got sucked into her lies. She didn’t like his friendship with Felicity, and so he had slowly allowed distance to form between them. Isabel was convinced that Felicity was in love with him, and they had argued about it frequently. Their worst argument occurred after Cooper forgot to pick up Hope, and Felicity had no idea where she was.

\-------Flashback (6 years ago)-------

Oliver has a headache. 

He had just left a horrible meeting with the board where he was reminded that QC wasn’t doing so well. He would be meeting Isabel for dinner in a little bit, too. He knows that he needs the support of her father if had was going to have a chance of getting QC out of trouble. 

One of Oliver’s advisors had been in communication with Isabel’s father’s lawyer. They were working on a marriage agreement to merge the companies and their families. 

The idea of marrying Isabel doesn’t make him excited or even remotely happy. He had always pictured himself marrying for love.

 

Oliver contemplates the idea of marriage as he sits at his desk. 

He wonders if he could really give up marrying for love just so that he can save the company. A small smile graces his face as he imagines what Felicity would have to say to him. 

She would probably inform him that his dad would never want him to give up on love, and she would definitely think his dad wouldn’t want him to marry Isabel. The smile grows even more at the thought of Felicity being the one in a wedding dress walking down the aisle towards him. 

He shakes that thought from his head. He shouldn’t even be considering this line of thought. She is way too good for him and he is a massive screw up.

He is pulled out of his thoughts by his sister’s voice. She comes barging into his office practically yelling at him.

“When were you going to tell me and why am I finding out like this?” Thea is definitely irritated but he thinks there may be a hint of anger in her tone.

“Find out about what?” Oliver asks in confusion as he rises from his chair and moves around his desk towards his sister.

Thea pulls out her phone and pulls up a picture of him and Isabel with the headline ‘Ollie Queen engaged to Isabel Rochev’.

Oliver is a little confused as they haven’t even signed any papers yet regarding the possible merger/marriage. He knows this is probably the work of Isabel’s fathers’ PR person, as he was in the room when this was brought up. 

This really wasn’t the way he wanted Thea to find out. God, he really wanted to be the one to tell Felicity and Tommy, too, but he knows that if Thea found out this way, there is no way that neither of them are unaware of the engagement.

“Speedy,” Oliver runs his hands down her shoulders attempting to calm her down. “I haven’t even gotten an engagement ring yet. 

Hell, I haven’t even signed any papers yet regarding a potential business agreement.”

“Oh,” Thea deflates. “It’s just that Emily told me that you were engaged, and then should could tell that I didn’t even know."

Oliver knows that his sister has been having a difficult time with her studies this year, and has been trying to play it off as if everything is okay. 

She has been acting out, too, and it has only gotten worse since their father passed away. Isabel chooses that moment to walk into his office, and immediately he can feel Thea tense up. 

He glares at Isabel. He doesn’t completely understand why Isabel and Thea don’t get along. 

All he knows is that something happened, but Thea refuses to tell him.  
Isabel gives an insincere smile as she addresses Thea. “Shouldn’t you be in school?” Her smile definitely doesn’t hide the disdain she seems to hold for Thea.

“We had an early out day today,” Thea snarks. “Anyway, I’m just on my way to see Mom. 

I thought I would drop by and say ‘Hi’ to Ollie on my way.” His sister hugs him and whispers, “Don’t marry her, please. 

Marry Felicity.” His sister has this belief that he and Felicity are meant to be together. 

She thinks that they should get married and that he should adopt Hope and Eddie, and have babies with her. 

She thinks that they would be ‘super cute’. He just shakes his   
head and watches Thea as she heads back out of his office.

“I’m sorry that got leaked.” Isabel saunters up to Oliver, her face a mask of faux sincerity. My father fired his PR man. It turns out he has been working for the newspapers for a long time.”

Oliver doesn’t really trust that Isabel is being truthful in this moment. Isabel’s father is a business man and would have used this to his advantage. And then there is that gut feeling he gets. 

But as he is hungry, he doesn’t press the issue so that he and Isabel can head to lunch. Oliver pulls out his phone and sends a quick text to Tommy.  
Oliver: Tommy. I need to talk to you later.

 

Tommy: Good god man. 

Don’t sell your soul to her. She’ll turn you into a walker.

Oliver smiles at Tommy’s text. Felicity has gotten Tommy into Game of Thrones and now Tommy is always mentioning that ‘Winter is coming’. He knows that is Tommy referring to Isabel as an ice witch.

Oliver: You need to stop hanging around Felicity. You know I know almost nothing about pop-culture or TV references. It is getting to the point that when either you or Felicity talk to me I have no idea what you are talking about.

Tommy: Don’t worry. Felicity will save you with her dragons.

Tommy: Besides, dude, you know what Felicity is like. Game of Thrones is the only way I can get anywhere near her.

Oliver: You sound creepy. You need to get over your crush.

Tommy: At least I am honest enough to say what I want.

Tommy: And at least I’m man enough to go for it. And have you heard from Felicity?

Tommy: I have been texting her because I thought we could go to Comic Con together ;-). We could share a room. She can go as the dragon lady and I can go as Jon Snow.

Oliver pointedly ignores his best friend’s lust-filled references to his other best friend.

Oliver: I’ve got to go. Isabel and I are headed to lunch. I’ll talk to you later.  
Oliver: Felicity is probably at work and on her lunch break. I will try to talk to her later, too.

Seven hours later finds Oliver and Isabel at dinner at one of the most expensive restaurants in town. A waitress, whom he is fairly certain that he slept with a few years back, comes take their order.

“Hi, Ollie,” the waitress smiles seductively. “Can I get you your usual?”

Before he can say anything, Isabel cuts him off. “We’ll have some champagne. We’re celebrating.” She waves her hand in front of the waitress showing off her engagement ring. 

She is wearing a family heirloom that belonged to his grandmother. He hadn’t really wanted to give it to her, and he hadn’t really wanted to get a ring from the family vault at all. But he had been pushed into it so he had relented.

Halfway through their dinner, Oliver’s phone rings. 

Looking at the screen he sees that it is Felicity calling, and instantly he is worried. She never calls him. She always texts.

Isabel, having seen who was calling, is instantly irritated. “God. 

Can’t she just leave us alone.” Her voice again fills with disdain when speaking about any of his friends or family.

“Isabel,” Oliver warns, “she is my best friend.”

“Who is in love with you,” Isabel says coolly.  
“She’s not in love with me,” Oliver argues. “She just came out of a long-term relationship.”

Isabel attempts to placate Oliver, however, there is a falseness to her tone. “Oliver, I love your friendship with her, but sometimes I feel like she is more important to you than me.”

Normally Oliver would never do it to Felicity, but not wanting to argue with Isabel anymore, he sends Felicity’s call to voicemail rather than answering it.

Shortly thereafter, Isabel and Oliver are getting dessert to go. Isabel has an early morning meeting and had told Oliver that she would rather eat it off him than stay to finish it at the restaurant, so they quickly head back to Oliver’s apartment. 

Ten minutes later finds Oliver warming up their soufflés in his kitchen with Isabel in his room in just her lingerie.

Walking into his bedroom, he finds Isabel on the bed, so he places the dessert on his bedside table. 

He leans across Isabel on the bed, starting to kiss her when she flips them, putting Oliver flat on his back. 

She takes some of the chocolate and smears it across her lips. 

Oliver leans up kissing her lips and licking all of the chocolate off of them. 

Isabel carefully begins divesting Oliver of his suit, until he is in nothing but his boxers.  
Just as they have removed the last of their clothing, leaving them both completely naked, Oliver’s phone rings for the second time this evening. 

He glances at the screen and sees that Quentin is calling. 

His mind is immediately drawn to the worst-case scenario. 

All he can think is that something has happened to either Felicity ,his mom or his sister. He immediately reaches for his phone.  
But before he can get far, Isabel hops up and holds the phone away from him. 

“God, Oliver. Just leave it. We just got engaged and I want to have sex with you.”  
Not really in the mode anymore due to all the potential disasters running through his mind, Oliver argues with her. 

"Isabel, hand me the phone.” There may be a bit of anger mixing in with panic at this point, but Oliver doesn’t have the patience to placate Isabel at this moment. Because Quentin never calls, and if he is calling, this can’t be good.

When Isabel doesn’t immediately respond, Oliver snaps, “Isabel, this could be important. Quentin never calls me.” He holds out his hand expectantly.

“Fine,” Isabel snips back at him and rolls her eyes as she hands over the phone before somehow gracefully throwing herself back on the bed in a huff, crossing her arms while waiting for Oliver to finish this call.

Grabbing the phone, Oliver immediately answers, “Hello? Mr. Lance? Is everything okay?” He tries to keep the worry out of his voice, but he isn’t sure that he is succeeding.

He doesn’t get a direct response from Quentin but instead hears, “You can speak to him if you want.” He hears rustling as it appears that the phone is being passed before he hears another voice on the phone. 

One that he recently ignored a call from, and now his worry level is   
starting to increase.

“Oliver? It’s me. Felicity.” He can tell by the shakiness of her voice that she has been crying.

“Felicity,” Oliver asks as the panic is starting to constrict his voice. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s Hope,” she barely stutters out. “We don’t... Coop…Cooper…he was supposed…he never…I…She…”

Oliver can tell that Felicity is trying her best not to break down in tears, mostly like for at least a second time, but he needs to know what is going on before he begins to panic, too. “Felicity,” he says softly, trying to get her to focus.

Felicity takes a deep breath and stased again.

“Hope. She’s missing. Cooper was supposed to pick her up from ballet class but he never showed up. But she isn’t at her ballet class anymore, either.” 

The sobs start up just as she gets out, “Oliver, my baby. I don’t know where she is.”

Without further thought, Oliver answers, “I’m on my way,” and begins to head for the door. As he hangs up he realizes however that not only is he completely naked, he has a very naked Isabel sitting on his bed, as well, glaring at him with a questioning gaze.

\-------End Flashback-------


	15. Russian

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everybody’s had a lovely new years and Christmas.  
> There’s a couple flashbacks and it picks up after the last chapter. And I hope everybody enjoys it and thank you to my amazing beta to.

Oliver should have known from the start that Isabel was the wrong woman for him, and possibly how little he really cared for her.

Her response to him choosing to help Felicity look for her missing daughter was anger. In Oliver’s mind, there was no choice to make.

Hope was important to him, as was his friendship with Felicity.

What if Hope was hurt or lost and he did nothing? Not only could he lose Hope, but what would it do to Felicity?

Or him? Or his and Felicity’s friendship? No. Hope’s safety came first, but Isabel didn’t seem to see it that way.

And he really didn’t feel guilty about putting Hope and Felicity first.

He could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had really thought through her reaction to his choices.

 

As it turned out, Hope was with John Diggle’s sister in law, Carly, at her restaurant, Big Belly Burger.

Oliver ended up being the one to find Hope, as he remembered her informing him once how much she loved Carly’s ‘mean cooking’.

Carly had looked after Hope, providing apple slices since Felicity didn’t like Hope eating junk food, while she was on her shift, and until Oliver showed up looking for her.

The relief Oliver felt when he found Hope, and Felicity’s absolute joy when he informed her that Hope was safe, blocked out any thoughts of Isabel.

After that incident, Isabel had made it clear to Oliver that she didn’t want him spending so much time with Felicity and her kids.

And to his shame, he chose to do as she asked. That was one of his biggest regrets regarding Felicity.

He knew that she was having trouble with Cooper trying to take one of her codes from her, and he wasn’t there when she needed him most.

Fortunately, their friend Lynn , who was helping her through her divorce with Cooper, was there for her.

Laurel was able to show that because Felicity had her coding on QC’s computers that they owned half the rights to the code.

Cooper, realizing that he was going to lose this particular fight, turned his attention to gaining custody of the kids. In an attempt to hurt Felicity as much as possible, he filed for full custody of kids, claiming that Felicity was unfit and shouldn’t be allowed near her children.

 

Oliver may have a lot of guilt and regret from that time in his life, especially because he wasn’t always there for Felicity and her kids.

He does, however, take just a little bit of joy in remembering that when Cooper threatened to take Felicity’s kids from her, Oliver made a trip out to see Cooper just to make it clear that there was no way that Cooper would succeed.

 

\--------Flashback (5 years earlier)--------

 <https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/947907531577417728>

Oliver arrived on his motorcycle to Big Belly Burger to meet up with Felicity.

When she had called him earlier, she had sounded extremely upset, and so Oliver hadn’t hesitated to agree to meet with her.

It also helped that Isabel was in Australia so he wouldn’t have to lie about seeing Felicity or worry about Isabel thinking he was choosing Felicity over her.

Things had slowly improved since he started spending less time with Felicity and her kids. But while he had been slowly pulling away from Felicity, he still met up with her every Friday at Big Belly Burger.

It was also fortunate that his fiancé didn’t care for the food chain, so he didn’t have to worry about Isabel wanting to join them.

He still found it a little weird to think of himself as engaged to Isabel.

 

Oliver found his way to his normal table, removed his black leather riding jacket and placed it along with his helmet on one of the chairs.

Carly approached him to inform him that Felicity was running late because she was picking up AJ for Carly.

“That’s fine,” Oliver informed Carly. “I was running late, as well. The traffic is really bad right now, so that could be delaying her, too.”  
“Is there anything I can get you while you wait?” Carly inquired.

“You can bring me a chocolate milkshake, a diet Coke, and an apple juice,” Oliver requested.

Carly smiled at Oliver and headed back towards the kitchen. “I’ll get that right out for you.”  
Oliver only had to wait five minutes before Carly returned with his order.

At the same time, he also heard the door to the restaurant open, and before he even saw them, he knew it was Felicity and Hope from the sound of the little girl’s feet clipping across the floor.

Their presence was confirmed when Hope called out for him, and when the scent of Felicity’s shampoo, strawberries and champagne, reached him.

When Felicity approached table, she gave him a smile, but it seemed sad.

Oliver gave her a questioning gaze, but she only shook her head at him.

 

“I’ll talk to you about it later,” Felicity informed him before she turned to Hope and AJ.

“Why don’t you two go over to the play area while Oliver and I catch up,” she directed the kids.

AJ and Hope took off for the play area, at which point Felicity sat down at the table with him.

He noted that she must have had the day off because she was dressed a lot more casually that normal in jeans and light gray sweater with flowers vining down the front, covered by a green corduroy jacket.

She was also wearing flats instead of the high heels she always wore to the office.

He, too, had dressed rather casually in dark jeans and dark blue button up shirt, with the collar left open.

 

“Where is Eddie?” Oliver inquired when he managed to remove his attention from Felicity’s appearance.

“I left him with Caitlin,” Felicity explained. “She is babysitting him for me.”

Oliver observed Felicity again, and once again noted that she is struggling to mask that something was bothering her.

“Alright,” Oliver stated without prelude.

“What’s wrong with you?”  
“Nothing is wrong with me.” Felicity attempted to force a smile to her face. “I’m fine.”  
“Really?” Oliver asked, quirking his eyebrow in disbelief.

 

“I’m fine,” Felicity tried to reiterate unconvincingly.  
“Fe-li-ci-ty,” Oliver pleaded. “Come on. You know you can tell me anything.”

He could tell that Felicity was reluctant to divulge anything, but he continued to try to draw out what the source of her concern might be. “

You know that everything regarding your code has been cleared up with help from QC,” Oliver pushed.

Felicity nodded in agreement. “Thank you for that, again, Oliver.

You’re right, that has all been cleared up, and everything is moving along just fine.”

Oliver wasn’t convinced that everything was as fine as Felicity was trying to make it, and when she didn’t comment further, Oliver continued to push.

“You’re trying to convince me that nothing is wrong, but your face is telling me otherwise.”

Felicity sighed heavily before admitting, “Cooper wants full custody of the kids.”  
“What?” Oliver exclaimed incredulously.

“There is no way that they would even consider giving him full custody of the kids.” Oliver took Felicity’s hand in his, rubbing is gently.

“You are a wonderful mother. No one would consider taking the kids away from you.”

“But Oliver,” she despaired, “Cooper will tell them about my years at MIT.”

Oliver was confused as to how that could change anything, and his expression must have conveyed that because Felicity continued to explain.

“When I was at MIT, I was part of a hacktivist group with Cooper.

We used to hack into government organizations such as the FBI and ARGUS.

I was the better hacker and was able to get into places that he wasn’t. It was supposed to be for fun.

Just to prove that we could do it.

At least that was what I thought.” Felicity paused to gather herself.

Oliver could see that she held some guilt over what she was about to reveal. “At one point I created this super virus. Again, just because I could.

But Cooper decided to use it to hack into school systems to change the grades of several of the popular kids, in addition to accessing multiple exams and leaking them to the students.”

While this didn’t sound good, Oliver was confused as to how Cooper’s misdeeds were Felicity’s problem.

“I don’t understand how this affects you, though. You weren’t the one that used the virus.”

 

“It doesn’t matter that I’m not the one who used the virus, Oliver,” Felicity explained in exasperation. “I wrote the virus.

I wrote the code. It essentially has my fingerprints all over it.”  
“Well,” Oliver started in confusion, “if you were going to get prosecuted for it, wouldn’t MIT have done something by now?

I mean, it has been a few years and this is the first I have heard of it, from you, or at all, for that matter.”

 

“The only reason nothing has been done is because they haven’t been able to figure who was responsible,” Felicity snapped. “And this wasn’t just MIT,” Felicity almost whispered.

 

“Cooper managed to break into multiple colleges across the country and release exams to the students.

The schools were embarrassed that their systems were hacked, so they kept the hack quiet.

But believe me, they are still looking to figure out who was responsible and prosecute them for it.”

“That was you?” Oliver asked in shock.

“I remember Tommy and I getting the answers for one of our business exams from this guy at school.”

Felicity nodded. “Cooper was only selling his services to the highest bidders.

The rich kids. It doesn’t surprise me that you or one of your friends got a copy of your exams as a result of his hacks. Cooper was hacking into schools and selling exams for almost three years before the schools discovered what was going on.”

“I still don’t understand what has you so worried, though,” Oliver stated.

“I don’t see how this would be enough for them to take your kids away from you, or even put you in prison.

You didn’t do any of this. Cooper did. You may have written the code, but Cooper used it.

If he tries to use the virus against you, couldn’t you just explain that he was the one who used it?

The one who profited from it. That you gained nothing from this and never intended for it to be used?”

“I have no proof,” Felicity’s voice cracked, her despair becoming more evident as she explained the situation.

“The code is mine.

That will be all that will be able to be proved.”

Oliver saw tears begin to form in Felicity’s eyes. “Why is he doing this?” The look on Felicity’s face practically broke Oliver.

Her kids were her life, and Cooper seemed hell-bent on doing anything he could to destroy Felicity’s world.

“Oliver,” Felicity continued, her expression changing from despair to worry, “this could affect so many people who were just being young and stupid.

If they identify the source of the virus, are they going to then want to go after everyone who got exams and cheated?”

 

Oliver could see how this could get ugly quickly.

If parents found out their kids had cheated and it affected their degrees, they might want retribution.

And since Cooper had only catered to the rich, they would definitely have the resources to go after Felicity if she was identified as the source.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?” Oliver asked softly.

“I don’t know,” Felicity shrugged sadly. “I just…Cooper just told me what he was planning today, and I just, I don’t know what to do, Oliver.”

This was a shit situation, and Oliver felt the intense urge to put his fist to Cooper’s face.

Instead, Oliver continued to hold Felicity’s hand while he tried to figure out a constructive solution.

 

\-------Three days later-------

 

“Oliver,” Tommy pleaded, “I know that you care for Felicity, but aren’t you worried this is going a bit too far?”

Oliver replied with venom in his voice. “He threatened to take the kids away from her, Tommy.

That vindictive little shit is looking for any way he can hurt her, and that isn’t okay. I got Diggle’s wife to look into this, and you know what she found?

It wasn’t just college exams that were being stolen and sold to the students. It seems the same virus was used to hack the FBI, and was being used to leak information to the Russian mob!

The Russian mob, Tommy! If that wasn’t bad enough, it seems as if Cooper decided to screw over the mob by working with the FBI.

The Russians are still looking for whomever screwed them over.

If it comes out that this virus was created by Felicity, what do you think the Russians are going to have to say about it?

Do you think they are going to care whether or not Felicity was the one to actually use the virus? Huh? So no.

As far as I am concerned, this is me taking it easy.”  
“Alright. Alright,” Tommy conceded.

He laughed as he started to pull his ski mask over his head, “You know, Oliver, I feel like Cooper and Isabel would be perfect for each other.” Despite the glare Oliver leveled at him, Tommy didn’t back down.

“We will talk about this later.”  
With a nod, they refocused their attention on their task, since Cooper had just exited his work.

\------------End Flashback------------

Only Tommy and Diggle were aware of what Oliver did to Cooper.

Since Oliver is fluent in Russian, he approached Cooper letting him believe that he was with the Russian mob, and that they were aware of who Cooper was.

Cooper may have been an awful person but he wasn’t so shitty that he would risk the safety of his children believing the Russians were on to him.

Cooper was willing to let Felicity have full custody of the kids thinking they would be safer away from him.

Oliver had felt a little bit of guilt over using pictures of the kids to scare Cooper, but it got the point across.

He knew the Russians would probably have done the same thing, or even worse, if they ever discovered Cooper’s role.

Felicity is still unaware of what Oliver did to Cooper.

Cooper was so scared he actually pissed himself when Oliver confronted him.

 

Shortly after this incident his relationship with Isabel fell apart.

His mom ended up cutting him off because she didn’t know why he ended things with Isabel.

How could he explain to his mother that the woman he was planning to marry was cheating on him with a friend and she had slept with his dad, her husband?

Not knowing how or wanting to deal with everything, Oliver just took off for a few months.

He eventually returned only to leave again.

He only recently returned for good.

His mother has since forgiven him, but she still tried to set him up with a woman named Laurel.

All he knows of her from his mother is that she has a younger sister she doesn’t speak to.

Something to do with taking sides in their parent’s divorce.

 

No. Oliver had found Sara, and didn’t need his mother’s input.

In his time away he had also realized he needed to be more present in Felicity and her kid’s lives.

Whether he had intended to or not, Oliver had become somewhat of a father figure in Hope’s and Eddie’s lives, just like their friends Diggle and Barry, since Cooper failed to be there for them and was all around shitty.

When Oliver left, and even before when he was distancing himself from Felicity, Hope and Eddie, he wasn’t being a very good friend to them.

When he was away, he realized just how much he missed having them in his life.

He loved her kids so much that he still felt guilty for abandoning them for so long. And Felicity was such a remarkable woman that he knew he needed and wanted to take more of an interest in her life.

 

Oliver was dragged out of his thoughts by Eddie. “I’m sorry Oliver,” Eddie sniffed. “Mom says that you really like this girl.

I hope I haven’t ruined it.”  
Oliver pulled Eddie and Hope into a hug.

“Of course, you haven’t, Buddy.” When Oliver lifted his gaze from the kids, he saw Sara watching them with a smile on her face.

“Are you okay?” Oliver directed to Sara.

“I’m fine,” Sara assured. Turning her attention to the kids, Sara continued, interjecting enthusiasm into her tone.

“I spoke with your mom, and your dad is going to have you the whole day tomorrow.

Your mom and I are going to have a spa day, and your dad and Tommy are going to spend the day looking after you.” With that statement, Sara departed.

 

Oliver returned his attention to the kids when Eddie again sobbed, “I’m sorry.”  
“Don’t worry,” Oliver reassured, “we can make a day of it.”

While this wasn’t exactly how Oliver had planned to spend his vacation, he wasn’t too upset.

Had he not just been thinking that he needed to be more present in Hope’s and Eddie’s lives?

And if it happened to get him back on Sara’s good side, who was he to complain?

 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Oliver, Hope and Eddie were out at the driving range.

“Why are we here?” Eddie questioned, his cute face scrunched in confusion.

 

“Sara left her camera with us, and I thought we could take some pictures together,” Oliver explained.

“She wasn’t very happy with me last night, and I think showing her how much fun we are having together might help her be happy with me again.

Besides, I have been meaning to change that picture in my office of the three of us together.” Oliver smiled at the thought of the picture of him holding Eddie when he was a baby, Hope with a big smile on her face as she tried to help hold Eddie, too.

“I think it might be a nice surprise for your mom as well as Sara.”

Eddie smiled mischievously. “She might get two surprises, then.

I did a big poo before we left and I forgot to flush the toilet.”  
Oliver nearly snorted, shaking his head at Eddie’s comment. “Alright, Eddie.

That is way more information that I needed. Sometimes you are too much.”

 

They spent the next twenty minutes taking pictures and laughing over various silly things, when Eddie queried, “Can we do something more fun than this?”

“Aren’t you having fun?” Oliver asked in confusion, looking back and forth between the two kids.

 

Eddie shook his head.

Hope went to collect another golf ball and stated with little emotion, “Don’t worry.

We do this with our dad all the time. But normally he just leaves halfway through our visit with him.”

Taken aback by the thought that Hope and Eddie almost expected him to just leave them to go do other things, as if he was anything like Cooper, Oliver decided he needed to make them understand they were important to him.

Crouching down to Eddie’s level, Oliver asked him, “How would you like it if I taught you to swim later?”

“Really?” Eddie hesitated, waiting for Oliver’s response.

When Oliver nodded in confirmation, Eddie threw his arms around Oliver’s neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m so excited”

“Maybe we can show your mom that you can swim when she gets back from her spa day,” Oliver encouraged. “That’s in four hours.”

Eddie’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Is it even possible for me to learn to swim in that amount of time?”

A few hours later found them headed to the swimming pool, Tommy in tow this time.

When they reached the pool, Eddie looked up at Oliver and Tommy and asked, a little trepidation in his voice, “How am I going to learn to swim in just a few hours when I have been too afraid all summer?”

Oliver looked down at Eddie, taking in his cute swim trunks and the swim floats he had around his arms.

“There is a way, but are you sure you want to do it?”

Eddie looked Oliver in the eyes, and simply stated, “I trust you Oliver.”

Oliver picked up Eddie, saying, “This is what my grandfather did to me,” just before he tossed him into the pool.

The pool wasn’t very deep where Eddie landed, and Tommy was right there with him when he surfaced, grabbing on to him.

Tommy chuckled, “Oliver’s grandfather did the same thing to me, only the pool was a lot deeper.”

Oliver joined the others in the pool.

Hope had already jumped in and was swimming around with her goggles on her forehead.

They continued to swim around for a bit, Eddie getting more comfortable with being in the pool and swimming around.

 

Hope came over to Eddie as he was clutching onto Oliver, and assured him, “You’re doing great, Eddie.

You are swimming so much better than you normally do.”  
“You really are doing so great,” Oliver confirmed.

“Now, we are going to advance you just a little bit more, okay?”

Eddie nodded, “Okay.”

“So, I want you to swim to Uncle Tommy without touching the bottom of the pool.

If you do that I will give you a dolphin biscuit,” Oliver instructed.

“Is that what your grandfather gave you?” Hope asked in amusement.

Oliver and Tommy looked at each other, before Oliver turned back to Eddie, shaking his head.

“Nooo. And you do not want what he gave us.”  
“Okay,” Eddie shrugged.  
Oliver held Eddie out in the water. “Okay, now kick your legs and make your way to Tommy.”

 

Eddie did as Oliver instructed and closed the distance to Tommy with Oliver and Hope cheering him on.

When Eddie reached Tommy, he was given a biscuit.

Tommy hugged Eddie, and Oliver lauded, “Well done, Eddie.

Now we are going to move a little further apart, and you are going swim back to me, okay?”

Once again Eddie made his way through the water with the encouragement of everyone, reaching Oliver and earning another biscuit, and a big hug and smile from Oliver.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Felicity was the most relaxed she had been in ages.

The person who gave Felicity her massage was a miracle worker, in her opinion.

Felicity had started to drift to sleep when Sara spoke.

 

“Felicity,” Sara said quietly.  
“I’m sorry, what?” Felicity asked as she drifted back to consciousness, but left her eyes closed.

 

“It’s Oliver’s birthday next week,” Sara stated, “and I have no idea what to get him.”  
Felicity let out a sigh as she opened her eyes. “Don’t get him a tie,” she advised.

“He has hundreds of them but he never wears them.”  
Sara smiled, “That’s good to know.”

 

“He loves hunting, too, but he doesn’t like to actually kill the animals,” Felicity continued.

“He also loves archery, so he gets arrows every year.

He loves candy, especially Jelly Bellies.

But only the red ones and the peanut butter flavored ones, so you have to sort them out.

But I can’t touch them, nut allergy and all, so I get the kids to sort them out for him. It’s their present to him every year.”

 

Sara turned on her side to look at Felicity in awe. “You know so much about him.”

“Yeah, I do,” Felicity  
acknowledged. “That’s what happens you’ve known someone for as long as I’ve known Oliver.

And we have known each other for a very long time.” Felicity finally turned to face Sara before she continued the initial direction of the conversation. “Music.

He has absolutely zero sense when it comes to music.

Oh, and technology? Absolutely no knowledge what-so-ever.” There was definite hint of exasperation at that admission. “And the thing about music, he is completely clueless to anything after 2007.”

“Isn’t that when ‘High School Musical’ came out?” Sara asked in amusement, to which Felicity just nodded.

 

\----------------------------------------------------------

 

Oliver called across the pool to Tommy, “How many biscuits do we have left?”  
“I think we have forty?” Tommy shrugged in response.

 

Oliver was holding Eddie and asked him, “Do you think that is enough biscuits for you? The distance to Tommy is about forty feet.

I think that is worth forty biscuits, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded excitedly. “I think that’s cool.”

 

“You want to take a rest?” Oliver asked Eddie.  
“No,” Eddie said emphatically in his cutest voice. “I want to keep going.”

 

“Okay, he’s ready,” Oliver called out to Tommy.  
“Just a second,” Eddie insisted.

Oliver paused thinking maybe Eddie had changed his mind about taking a rest.

Instead, Eddie began removing his floats, insisting, “I don’t need them.”

 

“Okay,” Oliver encouraged. “You’re right. You don’t need them. You are such a superhero, buddy.”

Tommy called out, “Look at him. Swimming without his floats.” Tommy then chanted loudly, “Eddie.

Eddie.

Eddie.”

“Are you sure about this?” Hope confirmed with Eddie.  
“Hell yeah!” Eddie shouted excitedly.

 

“That’s the spirit Eddie,” Oliver proclaimed. “Keep kicking, and I’m here if you need me.” He gave Eddie a little push out into the water, and off he went.

Hope and Oliver joined Tommy in chanting, “Eddie. Eddie. Eddie.”

Eddie struggled just a little bit but he continued to make his way across the pool towards Tommy.

While Eddie was making his way across the pool, Sara and Felicity had returned from their spa day.

Felicity watched as Eddie made his way across the swimming pool with confidence.

With tears of joy in her eyes, she shouted, “Go Eddie, go.

Just a little bit more. Come on Eddie. You can do it.”  
“Come Eddie,” Hope shouted. “You’re doing really well.”

Eddie could see Tommy and heard him call out, “You are almost here.

Just a little farther.”

When Eddie finally reached Tommy, Hope jumped into Oliver’s arms for a hug.

“That’s my boy,” Oliver called out in praise and began making his way over to Tommy and Eddie.

 

“I did it!” Eddie exclaimed.

“Thank you so much Oliver!”  
“That was all you, Buddy,”  
Oliver smiled as he reached Tommy and took Eddie into his arms. Oliver glanced over at the side of the pool and finally noticed that Sara and Felicity had joined them, smiles reaching from ear to ear.

The looks on their faces showed adoration and appreciation.

 

Eddie noticed Felicity in that moment, too, and called out gleefully, “Mom, did you see me? I swam all the way across the pool!”

 

“Yes, sweetie, I did see you!” Felicity smiled brightly at her son. “I am so proud of you.” Turning to Oliver she just mouthed, “Thank you.”

Felicity loved seeing how Oliver interacted with her children, because no matter what was going on in their lives, she knew that Oliver loved her kids so much.


	16. Favour

Felicity was so absorbed in enjoying Eddie’s moment of triumph at having successfully swum the length the of the pool that she didn’t notice the person approaching her.

 

“What are we looking at?” The noise of their celebrations had drowned out the sound of Helena approaching, her question being the first indication of her presence.

“Shit!” Felicity yelps, nearly stumbling sideways into the pool as she turns abruptly at Helena’s question.

“Helena! Oh, god! I didn’t hear you come up behind me,” she exclaims as she clutches at her heart.

Oliver, also caught up in the moment, drops Hope at Helena’s surprise appearance, exclaiming, “Shit!”

With a smirk on her face, Helena queries, “Do you scare easily?

I believe that is one of the signs that you could be starting menopause.”

 

Ignoring Helena, and changing the subject, Sara starts to say, “You know, I remember Eddie saying that he was going to do a…”

She is quickly cut off mid-sentence when Tommy scrambls out of the pool and pushes her into the pool, following closely behind her.

 

“What are you doing Tommy?” Oliver askes indignantly as Tommy pushes a surfacing Sara back under water.

“This is a game we like to play,” Tommy jokes. “It’s called ‘how long can you hold your breath’.”

“Anyway,” Helena huffs, drawing the conversation back to her, “I just wanted to verify that you and your husband will still be joining my husband and me for dinner.

I am looking forward to catching up.

Seven o’clock okay?”

 

“I don’t think we are going to be able to make it,” Felicity interjects quickly, hoping to get out of the previous arrangement she and Oliver had made.

“Oh?” Felicity swears there is almost a look of delight on Helena’s face.

“Is it a bad night? Are you two fighting?”

“No,” Felicity retorts. “We are not fighting.”

At the same time Oliver cut in despite Felicity’s objection, “Yes, Helena, tonight is still fine.”

He pointedly ignores looking at Felicity knowing that she throwing a glare his direction.  
“Alrighty, then.”

The delight on Helena’s face being replaced by the most insincere smile they have ever seen, “I guess we will see you tonight.”

With that Helena retreats back to the hotel, pulling out her cell phone as she goes.

“Whew,” Felicity’s shoulders slump in relief, “that was close.”

She remembers that instead of teaching her kids to say the word ‘crap’ when they had to poop, she had taught them to say that they had to ‘do a Helena’.

Based on Tommy’s response to Sara’s comment, Eddie must have said something in front of Sara.

Completely ignoring a sputtering Sara and Tommy still wrestling in the pool, Felicity turns on Oliver.

“Why did you say yes, Oliver?

We could have backed out! I told you the first time I wasn’t really interested in having dinner with her.

Or do you not remember that part about how she used to bully me in high school!”

Oliver isn’t certain, but he thinks a hint of panic may have begun to creep in along with the frustration.

 

“Felicity!” Oliver firmly interjects. “We already agreed.

I didn’t feel like we could justify backing out now.

Besides,” Oliver’s tone softens, “this is a chance to show Helena just how awesome you really are.”

Felicity’s glare softens and her lips start to tick up slightly.

A sly smile takes over Oliver’s face, “And I am still hoping to get some dirt on what you were like in high school!”

 

“Jerk,” Felicity huffs, but there is no heat in her tone.

She reaches down to the pool and takes a swing at the water, splashing Oliver in the face.

A big shit-eating grin crept of Oliver’s face as he starts to make his way towards where Felicity stands at the edge of the pool.

“Don’t you dare Oliver!” Felicity starts to back away.

 

Sara finally breaks loose from Tommy, making her way out of the pool.

“What the hell, Tommy?” Sara snapps.

 

Just as Oliver is starting to clear the edge of the pool, Felicity turns to Sara.

“Hey, Sara, why don’t we get you inside and dried off?

I think the boys can get the kids and bring them back inside right?”

She is beating a hasty retreat and using Sara as a shield, but she isn’t sorry.

She knows Oliver will toss her in the pool right then if she doesn’t get out of his reach.

Girls got to stick together right?

“Uh, yeah,” Sara sighs. “I could use a dry set of clothes.”

She pointedly glares at Tommy before turning to join Felicity in going back to their rooms.

“See you boys inside,” Felicity smirks, knowing that she had evaded Oliver.

\------------------------  
A little while later, after everyone had finally made it back to their rooms, Oliver calls Felicity.

“So I was thinking,” Oliver grunts.

“Maybe you were right to try to turn Helena down.” More grunting comes over the line.

“What are you talking about Oliver?

It’s a little late at this point to be backing out. I’m not even sure how I would get ahold of Helena to cancel.”

The exasperation was clear in her voice, and the grunting continues as she speaks.

“And what is with all the grunting noises, Oliver?”

“I’m doing push-ups. And you wouldn’t need to cancel with Helena, I just don’t have to join you.

I didn’t really consider what I would tell Sara.

How am I going to explain this to her? What would I tell her?”

At just that moment Sara exits the bathroom, wrapped in just a towel after removing her wet clothes. “Hold on a minute Felicity.”

Oliver leaves his phone on speaker as he stands up and walks towards Sara.

“Don’t you think it was weird the way Tommy just pushed me into the pool earlier?” Sara inquires.

Oliver attempts to play it off, “Tommy has always been like that since we were kids.

It’s how he shows you that he likes you.”

“Okay,” Sara shrugs. “Weird for a grown man,” she mutters under her breath.

Oliver is just relieved that she seems to by buying his explanation.

“So I was thinking,” Sara starts to say as she drops her towel, “it would be wonderful to have some time just to ourselves this evening.”

Oliver snakes his arm around her waist, dragging her into a deep kiss.

“I’ll join you in the shower in just a minute.”

He releases her, stepping back to admire her perfect body, and continues to stare as she turns and saunters back into the bathroom, throwing him a kiss just as she reaches the doorway.

 

Quickly retrieving his phone, and without any preamble, Oliver states, “Yeah, I’m not going to be able to join you tonight.”

“Oliver,” Felicity implores before he cuts her off.

“No. This is my first night to be able to spend alone with Sara.” He hasn’t had the chance to spend time with Sara since they arrived, and he is looking forward to an evening locked up in their room without any interruptions.

“Please,” Felicity begs.

He can practically hear her pouting through the phone. “I’m only asking you this one favor.

Could you just please pretend to be my husband?

Just this one night?

Pretty please?

I know I was the one to object first, but I think you were right. I think this would help me feel better.

She was so mean to me in Vegas. If you don’t come,

I know she will find a way to rub it in. By coming you are helping me save face.”

“Felicity,” Oliver sighs in exasperation, “I still don’t know what I would tell Sara.

I don’t exactly think she would be okay with this.”

“You know Oliver,” Felicity’s tone shifts to frustration, “with everything that I have done for you over the last few weeks for your and Sara’s relationship, you think you could return the favor.

Just put her on the phone.”

Feeling a bit of guilt for all that he had asked of her, and knowing that he will eventually give in to her request anyway, Oliver concedes and heads towards the bathroom.

“Sara,” Oliver calls out over the shower and music that is emanating from the bathroom. “Felicity’s on the phone for you.”

As he enters the bathroom, Felicity can pick up the tune.

“Please don’t say that she is listening to N’Sync.”

Oliver shuts off the music realizing Sara couldn’t hear him over it.

“Hey,” Sara exclaims, “that’s my jam!”

“Felicity is on the phone for you,” Oliver explains, and proceeds to wait for Sara to exit the shower and dry off before handing her the phone.

 

Meanwhile, Felicity hands the phone to Tommy, whispering, “It’s Sara.” At his confused stare, she continues, “I need to you take her out of the hotel this evening.”

When she gets no response from Tommy but a blank stare, she pleads, “Please, Tommy.

I would really appreciate you doing this for me.”

“I’m eating,” is Tommy’s response, before he tries to turn back to what he was doing.

The slap to his arm from Felicity catches him off-guard. “Pretty please, Tommy,” she pleads attempting to make puppy eyes at him.

Giving in, Tommy reaches for the phone, rolling his eyes at the look of relief and the mouthed ‘thank you’ from Felicity.

“Hi,” Tommy drawls.

“It’s Tommy,” Sara whispers, covering the mouthpiece, as she looks to Olive in question.

Oliver only shrugs his shoulders, with a mouthed ‘I don’t know’ not knowing where this was going.

“I thought it might be a good idea for you and I to get dinner together,” Tommy continues.

“I mean, we might be family soon, so it’s important for us to get to know each other.”

“I don’t know,” Sara hesitates.  
“I just think with how close Oliver and Felicity are, as well as the kids, that it would be good for us to how a close relationship, too,” Tommy argues.

“Well, not in that way.

But I think it would be good for the kids especially if we were really good friends.”

“Oh. Uh, okay,” Sara acknowledges. “Give me a minute to ask Oliver.”

She takes the phone away from her ear, and turns her focus back to Oliver.

“Tommy wants to have dinner with me.”

“No,” Oliver asserts.

“Are you sure Oliver?” Sara questions.

“I think it might be a good idea if I spend some time with him, I guess.”

When Oliver looks ready to object again, she pleads, “If we are going to be getting closer, I want to be in the children’s lives.

You guys already know each other so well, don’t you think it would be good for me to get to know the rest of your friends, too?”

She walks up to him, putting her arms around his shoulders, pressing her body against his, lips inches from his lips.

“Fine,” Oliver sighs. “You can tell him yes.”

It seems as if Sara is determined to torture him.

If he really wants a chance with her it seems he is going to have let her get to know everyone in his life, even if it cut into the time he planned to spend alone with her.

So much for this vacation being just the two of them.  
“Okay, Tommy.

I can meet you for dinner tonight,” Sara agrees.

“Great.

See you tonight, Sara,” Tommy affirms before ending the call.

Turning to Felicity he grouses, “What exactly am I going to talk to her about tonight?”

“Oh, I don’t know, Tommy,” Felicity sasses, “talk about all the random stuff you talk with my kids about.

Or whatever it is you normally talk to women about.

I would think you are more than capable of carrying on a conversation with her.

You talk to women all the time.”

“But this is totally different,” Tommy points out.

“Normally I want to get into their pants.”

When Felicity glares at him, he grumbles, “If I do this, can I at least sleep on the bed with you?”

 

“Why?” Felicity gapes.

“You have a perfectly good bedroom.” She glances towards the bathroom Tommy has been sleeping in for the past couple of days, cringing in thought of how uncomfortable the bathtub probably is for sleeping.

“Just,” she sighs, “take her as far away from the hotel as you can, okay?”

Tommy nods. “I need to go get ready.”

\---------------------------------

 

The  outfits of  Oliver & Felicity 

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/995660841088319489?s=21>

 

 

 

 

To say that Felicity is nervous would be an understatement.

Here she is standing outside an Italian restaurant waiting for Oliver, and he is late.

Again.

It helped only a little that Helena’s husband hasn’t arrived yet, either.

She is just thinking about calling him when she turns to see him approaching.

Her jaw nearly drops at the image before her.

The way the man looks in a suit and tie is almost obscene.

He is wearing her favorite suit paired with a black tie and the arrow cufflinks she had given him as a gift.

If she drools a little, she will never admit it.

When Oliver spotts Felicity, his footsteps almost falter.

She has her hair twisted up leaving her neck and collarbone exposed.

The blue dress she is wearing complemented her eyes and skin beautifully, as well as hugging her curves.

The way the dress fit his eyes can’t help but follow the dress from her exposed neckline all the way down to the hemline that stopped just above her knees, taking in her breathtaking form.

He continues to follow the line of her shapely legs down to the silver and black spiked heels adorning her feet.

As he continues to approach her, he can see even more detail in the dress.

With as snug as it fits her, it almost looks to be painted on.

 

The sight before him reminds him of another time he had seen Felicity dressed beautifully.

They had attended a party for QC to which she had worn the most sinful looking gold dress.

While that dress highlighted her beauty, this dress is truly another level of perfection.

Beautiful is not enough to describe her.

As he takes in her form, his mind wanders to what she might be wearing underneath the dress.

A quick perusal confirms for him that she at least isn’t wearing a bra.

His arousal spikes as he considers this.

He has always found Felicity beautiful, but tonight it seems to be on a completely different level.

He is beginning to think if this is the last thing he ever sees, he will die a happy man.

He is a lucky man to have Felicity as his friend.

Friend.

The word leaves a niggling feeling in the back of his mind.

Then he remembers that when they get back from their vacation she will be going on a date with Ray.

That niggling feeling shifts to something else he is not sure he has felt before.

He shakes his head internally to drive away any thoughts of Ray.

He finds Ray creepy and doesn’t really want to let his thoughts linger there too long.

Or linger on why Ray bothers him so much.

Best to just not think about Ray at all.

 

As he continues to take in Felicity’s appearance, he realizes that the beautiful necklace that she is wearing belongs to his grandmother.

He is seriously wondering what Thea was thinking giving the necklace to Felicity.

His grandmother never would have given it to her as it is worth half a million dollars.

But then again, he contemplates, his grandmother always did have a soft spot for Felicity.


	17. Happy New Year!!!! .

 

<https://twitter.com/victori96572376/status/1005548552880259073?s=21>

 

\------- (Flashback: QC New Year’s Eve party) ------

 

Oliver is extremely nervous.

This is the first New Year’s Eve party that he has done without any help from his mother or Thea.

He is excited to see Felicity, as he wants to show her the gardens and the library.

And his grandmother can’t wait to see her.

He sees his good friend Diggle with Lyla.

He thinks they may have rekindled their relationship. At that moment, Tommy approaches him, clapping him on the shoulder.

 

“Have you seen that blonde over there in the purple dress?” Tommy wriggles his eyebrows at him.

Oliver looks in the direction Tommy indicates, but shakes his head no.

“She’s gorgeous.

I think I’m going to go over and introduce myself to her.”

Tommy turns to head towards the blonde and is intercepted by a redhead.

 

“Can I have this dance?”

She purrs, dragging her fingers along Tommy’s arm.

Tommy smiles at her. “Yes, you may, Carrie.”

He slides his arm around her waist and heads for the dance floor.

Oliver just shakes his head and looks back to where the blonde woman had been standing, but she has disappeared.

At this moment, his mother approaches him, hugging him and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

 

“I’m really proud of you,” she approves. “You’ve done such a wonderful job putting this event together.”

She smiles at him fondly before her gaze is drawn over his shoulder.

“Oh. There is Isabel.

I would like you to speak with her,” she indicates before asking,

“Did you get what I left on your bed for you this morning?”

He nods in acknowledgement.

He had found an engagement ring on his bed this morning.

He knew that his mother was hinting at what she wanted him to do.

He has been dating Isabel for three months, and he is aware that Isabel and his mother are expecting him to propose to her at any time.

They will be expected to have a year-long engagement before they get married.

He sighs at that thought.

It has also been three months since he had had to start distancing himself from Felicity.

He misses spending so much time with her, but ever since he started dating Isabel he had had to withdraw because Isabel seemed to dislike Felicity for some reason.

 

One hour later

 

Oliver is dancing with one of the board member’s wives when she whisperes suggestively in his ear.

“If you want, you can show me your bedroom.

My husband will not mind.

He is over there with that pretty waitress.

We have an understanding.

He can do what he wants and I can do what I want, we just have to be discreet.”

 

He smiles at the woman who could be old enough to be his mother, but he is cut off by a little voice calling his name before he can make any kind of response.

He immediately abandons the older woman in favor of the voice calling to him.

 

“Ollie,” he hears Hope’s excited voice.

Turning around he spots her in the cutest little red dress that he had purchased for her birthday.

Bending down, he picks her up and rights himself.

“Wow! I love your dress,” Oliver praises.

“It’s the one you bought me,” she beams. “Do you like the bow?”

Her hair is braided to the side and has a little bow in it.

Thea comes over to join them. “I love your shoes,” she gushes.

Hope has the cutest little black shoes with cat faces on the toes.

“Would you like this dance, Hope?”

Oliver inquires, smiling at the happy child in his arms.

“Yes!” Hope bounces excitedly in his arms before he puts her down, allowing her to stand on his feet while they dance to the music.

 

Oliver doesn’t notice all the women staring longingly at him while he dances with Hope.

He only has eyes for her in this moment.

Thea watches on thinking that her brother dancing with Hope is the cutest thing ever.

And in her opinion, the best thing about this moment is that she can see how much Isabel absolutely hates it.

Thea can’t honestly see why Oliver is with this woman.

She is such a Grinch.

When Oliver told her what Hope had done to her Chanel dress, she couldn’t stop laughing.

She knows that Oliver isn’t with Isabel for love.

She might be thirteen years old, but she isn’t stupid.

On the other hand, her brother is too stupid to see what’s right in front of him.

Thea’s thoughts are interrupted by her mother asking,

“Is that Hope with Oliver?”

 

Thea takes in her mother’s image.

She looks elegant in her dark blue sequined dress.

It is complemented by the diamond earrings her dad had purchased for her mother, and a necklace that belongs to her grandmother.

“Yes, he’s dancing with Hope,” she confirms.

 

“Such a beautiful child,” Moira comments.

“Where is Eddie? He is such a beautiful boy.”

Thea is shocked by her mother’s admissions.

She never speaks like this about Felicity’s kids.

But just like Felicity, her kids have a way of drawing you in and making you love them.

Thea points across the room.

“He is with Felicity.” She was carrying him in a car seat.

“Oh, god,” Moira squeaks.

Thea whips her head around  
to look at her mother.

She is not sure she has ever heard that noise or expression leave her mother’s mouth before.

She follows her mother’s line of sight to see her grandmother approaching Felicity.

Thea’s grandmother is cooing excitedly over Eddie. “He is so gorgeous!

Can I hold him?” she is exclaiming loudly enough to be heard across the room.

 

“What’s wrong with Grandma being with Felicity?” Thea asks confusedly.

Moira looks a bit upset. “Thea, you know how sometimes you think I embarrass you?

Well, my mother does the same thing to me,” she admits as they make their way towards Felicity, Eddie, and her grandmother.

A few moments later the song ends, and Oliver finishes dancing with Hope.

He looks around for Felicity, and spots her surrounded by Thea, his mother, and his grandmother.

He picks Hope back up, quickly making his way towards the group.

His breath hitches as he catches sight of Felicity in a figure-hugging purple dress that hangs off her shoulders. Her hair is up off her neck.

When Felicity spots him she smiles, and he can tell that she is happy to see him.

He leans over to kiss her on the cheek. “You look stunning,” he professes, his excitement at seeing her radiating from his face.

“Oliver, honey,” his grandmother explains, “Felicity’s babysitter cancelled on her so she had to bring the kids with her.

I was just telling her that I could babysit them for her.”

“Mom,” Moira cautions, “you can’t.”

“Moira,” his grandmother objects, “I have three children and six grandchildren.

I am perfectly capable of taking care of this young man.”

His grandmother only has eyes for Eddie at this point, making little cooing noises at him. “

Now, I’m just going to take him to a quieter part of the house, where the two of us will be perfectly happy.

Come now Eddie.

You and I are going to go somewhere quieter so these young adults can party without us getting in their way.”

Bouncing Eddie ever so gently, his grandmother heads off away from all the revelry.

 

Oliver knows that his grandmother needs someone to look after.

His grandfather had recently passed away, and her kids were all grown.

Even her grandkids are becoming more independent.

 

It is nearly an hour later when Oliver heads back to find Felicity.

She had gone back to check on Eddie, taking Hope with her.

Hope had gotten tired a little while after Oliver’s grandmother had gone off with Eddie.

Felicity had taken her back to where they were so that she could rest.

Now Hope is fast asleep, and Eddie has fallen asleep with his grandmother.

Felicity is just leaving the room when Oliver approaches.

“I would like to check again to see if they are okay, if that’s alright?”

Oliver appeals.  
As they enter the room, Hope wakes up asking for mommy.

Felicity picks her up. “Hey, sweetie.

Would you like to do the countdown to New Year’s?”

Hope nods, snuggling her head into Felicity’s neck.

 

Oliver approaches, guiding them towards a set of doors leading out onto a balcony.

“This is the best place to watch the fireworks from.” Oliver escorts them out onto the balcony as the countdown begins. “

There is a seat over here that all of us can sit on.”

Oliver sits to one side, Felicity on the other, placing Hope between them.

They join in the countdown.

“10.”  
“9.”  
“8.”  
“7.”  
“6.”  
“5.”  
“4.”  
“3.”  
“2.”  
“1.”

“Happy New Year!” They all shout and then the fireworks start exploding overhead.

 

The fireworks startle Hope, so she snuggles into Oliver’s chest.

He smiles, stroking her back comfortingly.

When she calms a bit, she looks up at Oliver, and then over at Felicity and says, “Kisses!”

Oliver is certain that his grandmother put Hope up to this.

He is aware of how much his grandmother likes Felicity, and would like to see him and Felicity together.

“Oliver,” Felicity states quietly, “we can’t. Isabel.”

Smiling affectionately, Oliver simply states, “Felicity, it’s just a kiss.”

He leans in to kiss her.

Felicity just thinks he is going to kiss her on the cheek, but then their lips collide.

 

\------- (End Flashback) -------


	18. Red pen

Oliver has only ever kissed Felicity twice, both times under the manipulations of his grandmother. 

The last time was nearly two years ago under the mistletoe. 

But in this moment, seeing her in that blue dress, he desperately wants to pull her to him and kiss her senseless. Instead, he reaches her and they do some sort of awkward hug, neither certain how close together or far apart they should be. One arm? 

Both arms? 

Touching only at the shoulders? Or would a full-bodied hug be appropriate? 

Oliver definitely wouldn’t mind the latter, but tries to keep it respectful lest his body betray him in this moment.

As they pull back from each other, Felicity looks at him with a shy smile and admits, 

“You look gorgeous and really hot,” before pinching her lips shut and shaking her head at her less than silent admission.

 

Oliver laughs lightly, a genuine smile reaching his eyes, and returns the compliment. 

“You look perfect.” If his gaze follows the blush down her throat to her chest, he doesn’t know if he could deny it. 

He loves the glow of her skin, and wonders just how far down that blush actually goes. 

It is only as his gaze returns to Felicity’s face that he realizes that he has been staring at and thinking lustfully about a woman that he considers as his best friend, and wonders what the hell is wrong with him. 

Of course, as he follows Felicity into the restaurant, he finds his gaze wandering again, before having to mentally reprimand himself with the reminder that ‘Felicity is my best friend.’

It isn’t long before they are seated in the restaurant, and looking over their menus, with the waiter standing by to take their drink orders and make recommendations. Of course, Helena and her husband are critiquing the fish and wine suggestions.

 

“I don’t think that was a very good year,” Helena retorts to the waiter. Turning back to the table she arches her one eyebrow with a hint of a pout to her lips, “I think the 1983 is better.”

With a small smile and nod of agreement, Felicity barely gets out, “Yes, that’s what I have heard, as well,” before being interrupted by Helena’s husband.

“I’m not sure about the starter,” he complains, disregarding that Felicity had just spoken. “I’m allergic to garlic.”

Realizing the Helena and her husband aren’t paying them any mind, Felicity pulls her menu up in front of her face to block her conversation with Oliver from their view. “Oliver, did you go through the flash cards I left you?” Felicity whispers.

Mimicking her position, Oliver also pulls his menu up to hide his response from their dinner partners. “Yeah. 

I skimmed through them.”  
Snapping her gaze to Oliver and attempting to control the level of her voice, Felicity whispers harshly, “You didn’t read them?” 

Her exasperation was clear, as were the beginning signs of panic. “Oliver. The one thing I asked you to do was read them!”

“Felicity,” Oliver say with a commanding yet soothing tone. 

“Just…relax. It’ll be fine,” he attempts to comfort before turning his attention back to Helena and her husband, as they finally seem to reach some sort of decision regarding the wine.

“Just get the most expensive wine, dear,” Helena’s husband placates.

 

Turning to Felicity, Helena says flirtatiously, “God, look at us Felicity. Both so happily married.”

With a forced little laugh, Felicity responds, “Yeah. Can you believe it?”

Helena turns towards her husband, and they lean together, noses brushing .

“Everything I hoped for.” At that Helena coos and begins talking to her husband in baby voices.  
Feeling a bit awkward about observing the display before them, Felicity’s eyes widen and she averts her gaze. 

Oliver pulls out his phone so that he can talk to Felicity without interrupting the two love birds sitting across the table from them.

 

O: I think they might have taken one of those little yellow happy pills  
Felicity just smiles and tries to keep her chuckle discreet as she texts Oliver back.

F: I just hope their noses are clean ;).

Oliver can’t keep the smile from his face as he responds quickly.

O: Yeah…but should we start talking in baby talk, too?

Oliver swears her hears Felicity snort before his phone pings with her reply.

F: No. Just…no. Baby talk is waaaaay to weird. 

Just like ‘lovers’ is a really creepy word.

Oliver’s smile grows as he places his phone back on the table. He watches as Helena and her husband are still nose to nose talking in that same baby voice about how much they love each other.

“I love how nothing smells better than Helena,” her husband admits, glancing over at Felicity and smoking. 

This evokes a full-bodied laugh from Oliver. “I suppose smelling Helena is always a good thing.”  
Felicity can’t help herself and joins Oliver laughing.

=====(At the Hula Bar with Tommy and Sara)=====

As Sara and Tommy walk into the Hula Bar, Sara, who always seems to be up for anything, hesitates. 

“Are you sure this place is okay? 

It seems to be a bit run down.”

 

Tommy can tell by the look are her face that she is trying to be fine with it, but the crinkle to her nose says otherwise. “Sure,” Tommy attempts to convince her, but even he finds his tone falls flat. “The hotel said this was an amazing place to eat.” 

Tommy is not about to admit that he overheard one of the women in the gym talking about some dive called the Hula Bar. 

And how great she had thought it would be because all the locals went there, but discovered she was completely wrong. 

Nope.

Tommy is not going to admit that. He tries to control the shudder as he thinks about fact that he is going to have to take a seat at some point, and he isn’t sure this place as passed any kind of health inspection recently. 

Yep. 

Felicity is definitely going to owe him big-time for this. If his best friend wasn’t completely head-over-heals smitten with Felicity, Tommy would be trying his damnedest to get Felicity into bed. 

While Tommy is already aware that Oliver loves Felicity as more than just a friend, this week is just icing on the cake proof of how in love Oliver is with her and her children.

 

Tommy’s attention is snapped back to his surroundings when a man at the bar offers him two chickens for his car.

“Uh, thanks but no thanks,” Tommy responds as he quickly tries to steer Sara around the man and to another area of the bar. “I really want to keep the car,” he calls back over his shoulder as they move away swiftly.

“This place seems really nice,” Sara tries for encouraging but the near grimace isn’t making Tommy believe her. 

“Don’t you think?” she continues to smile looking around cautiously. 

Tommy spots a cockroach crawling along the bar, and just hopes Sara hasn’t seen it yet, or this outing will be over before it even starts.

 

================

 

“Don’t pour over me,” Helena’s husband corrects the waiter patronizingly. 

“You’re not doing it right. You should be on my other side.” When the waiter doesn’t respond as quickly as he would like he sighs in irritation. “Never mind. 

I’ll just bring my glass to you.” He rolls his eyes for good measure, and once the waiter is out of earshot he speaks to his dinner companions. 

“It is so hard to get good help these days, isn’t it?”

“So, Oliver, you’re the CEO of QC.” Helena is laying on the sickly sweet tone Felicity has always associated with false interest and friendliness. “God, Felicity. 

Look at us. We both got so lucky! You managed to snag a rich, handsome man so that you can afford all that Botox and surgery.”  
Felicity bites her tongue. 

Helena has always been a bitch to her, and this just emphasizes how much she really doesn’t like the woman sitting in front of her. 

She forces a fake smile to her face, willing this evening to pass as quickly as possible.

“Actually, Helena,” Oliver interjects looking Felicity in the eyes with a genuine smile on face, “Felicity is a natural beauty. 

She doesn’t need any augmentation, even if she does choose to dye her hair.”

Felicity can’t help but return the smile, staring right back at him as she nearly whispers, “Oliver.” 

They continue to stare at each other for a few moments before being interrupted by Helena speaking.

“What about me?” Helena asks confidently.

Still looking at Felicity, Oliver gives her a quick wink, and responds to Helena without even glancing in her direction.

“I can tell that you’ve had a nose job.” 

He doesn’t particularly care for the way Helena is speaking to Felicity. Before returning his attention to the table, he catches Felicity trying to stifle a laugh.

Feeling a bit flustered at the unexpected response, Helena attempts to change the subject. 

“So, how did the two of you meet?”  
As Felicity was trying to think of a response, Oliver answers, “She was chewing on a red pen.”

“How do you remember that?” Felicity snaps her head to look at Oliver.

Turning to look at Felicity once again, he shrugs, smiling sweetly, “You were wearing your pink blouse with the black pencil skirt, and you had your hair down.” 

Felicity returns his smile, and the other couple at the table almost fades into be background when Helena’s husband’s phone rings.  
“Hello,” he answers. “This is ‘I’ man.”

Oliver’s eyebrows raise in question as he tries not to laugh at his dinner companion. 

“That’s a weird way to answer the phone. Did you invent the iPhone or something?”

 

“Yes,” Helena’s husband says matter-of-factly with a smile.  
Felicity starts to chuckle.

“It’s so weird that the man who invented the iPhone would answer the phone as iMan.” At this point neither Oliver or Felicity can contain their laughter.

Helena’s husband looks at them in confusion, not understanding what is so funny. 

“I have to take this.” He glances back and forth between Oliver and Felicity, still clearly confused as he stands from the table.

“This is one of my charities.” He bends down to Helena, looking her squarely in the face, full of intensity, “I love your body. I worship it.”  
“You’re amazing,” she returns in equal intensity. 

“Your brain, your body, and your mind.”

“Mmm. Yes. And your womanhood.”

At this point, Helena and her husband proceed to kiss for several minutes. 

Oliver and Felicity sit almost stunned, looking at each in question, and trying desperately not to laugh at the ridiculous display in front of them. 

Finally, Helena and her husband break their kiss, and he steps out to finish his phone call.

 

When she sees the questioning looks on Oliver and Felicity’s faces, Helena responds, “It’s something we do every time one of us leaves. We tell each other what we love about the other.”

“Awww.” Felicity says at the same time that Oliver replies, “That’s really nice.”

“You two should give it a go,” Helena says pretentiously. “It really saved me and Jack.”

Felicity and Oliver look at each desperately trying to not laugh, instead smiling like idiots.

“We will have to try that later,” Felicity nearly snorts.

“Yes,” Oliver agrees, smile growing bigger, “we definitely need to try that.”

“Well,” Helena boasts, “not everyone can do it.”

Oliver sees the shift in Felicity’s expression. 

While she doesn’t really like Helena and shouldn’t feel the need to prove anything to this woman, Felicity is a competitive woman. 

He can see the instant that Felicity takes Helena’s statement as a challenge.

“We can do this,” Felicity rebuts as she stares at Oliver, quirking a single eyebrow. 

Her look tells Oliver she is not backing down and they are going to do this right here, right now.


	19. Nyssa

“So, I started to go to medical school quite young,” Tommy boasts.

 

“Wow, Tommy, that’s amazing,” Sara responds distractedly.

 

Tommy notices that Sara’s attention is not on him but off to the side. 

Glancing in the direction of her gaze, he notices her staring at a familiar woman at the bar. 

When the woman notices them looking at her, she makes her way over to their table.

 

“Hi, Tommy,” the woman greets him. “What are you doing here?” She glances questioningly between Tommy and Sara.

“Hello, Nyssa. I’m here with Oliver’s girlfriend, Sara.” Tommy introduces the two ladies.

Sara smiles at Nyssa, a slight question in her eyes. “Hi. I swear I’ve seen you before.”

 

“I own a gym in Star City and my dad owns one in England,” Nyssa grins back at Sara.

“Oh my god! Is it called The League?” excitement and astonishment leaking into Sara’s voice.

“Yes, it is.” Nyssa beams.

Practically bouncing out of her seat in enthusiasm, “That’s so crazy,” Sara responds, “because I’m going to be working for your gym in Star City.”

“That is crazy,” Nyssa agrees. “We have to get drink sometime when you get back home.”

Tommy feels like he is in a tennis match watching the conversation between Nyssa and Sara. 

It seems they have forgotten he is there at the table, and, in his expert opinion, have begun flirting with each other.

Clearing his throat Tommy interjects, “Did I not mention that Sara is with Ollie?”

Nyssa briefly glances as Tommy before returning her attention to Sara. “Yes, Oliver has mentioned you, Sara. 

Anyway, I have a class here on Wednesday, if you would like to come by and join.

I am in the process of setting up a gym here at the hotel.” 

The smile that graces Nyssa’s face is not one that Tommy has ever seen on her before. 

She seems…enamored? 

“Here is my number,” Nyssa offers Sara. “Call me sometime and we can train together.”

“That would be fantastic,” Sara grins while nodding excitedly.

 

Nodding in acknowledgement, and smile lighting up her face, Nyssa holds Sara’s gaze for a moment longer before turning to exit that bar, climbing into her Jeep and driving away.

 

Tommy sits watching Sara as she continues to stare in the direction Nyssa departed. 

When she finally returns her attention to Tommy she sees him eying her in question.

“What?” Sara says almost defensively. “Why are you looking at me funny, Tommy?”

“You just seem to really hit it off with Nyssa,” Tommy admits, “and she never invites people she has just met to join her classes.”

He waggles his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Sara smirks at Tommy, “If you are asking if I am bi, the answer is yes.” When Tommy’s eyebrows hit his hairline, she continues, “Oliver knows that I’ve dated girls. 

He’s fine with that, and I know his history with women, and I’m fine with that.”

Before Tommy can say anything in response, there is a lot of commotion, and yelling, and someone saying, “Please help me. 

My goat. It’s not breathing!”  
“He’s a doctor,” Sara volunteers Tommy. “He can help.”

Tommy doesn’t immediately realize that Sara has indicated him until he glances around and sees everyone staring at him.

“Please,” a little old lady pleads with him, “please help my goat.”  
Sara is tugging on him, dragging him over to the lady and her goat. 

“I’m sure you can work on the sheep,” she insists.

“Uh, no,” Tommy pulls back insistently. “Working on a human is entirely different than working on an animal.”

At this point the little old lady bursts into tears. “Please, this is my prize goat.”

Sighing in exasperation, Tommy bends down to the goat to check its vitals. “It’s not breathing,” he states before resignedly starting CPR on the animal. 

Tommy has never been so glad that he listened to Ollie when he talked him into taking that CPR class. 

One of their friends had convinced them it was a great way to hook up with women and even told them which class had the hot female instructor. 

Of course, he never in his wildest imaginings figured he would be using it to try to save a goat. 

Putting his mouth to the goat’s mouth, he forcefully breaths into it.   
Immediately, the goat lets out a cry, gets up, and walks over to the other goats.

===========

“All you do,” Helena instructs, “is look into each other’s eyes and say the things that you love about each other.” 

She points to them indicating they should face each other. “Go on. Do it.”

“So, we’ve got to look at each other for this,” Oliver says nervously, rubbing his fingers together.  
“We are so ready,” 

Felicity states confidently. “Are you ready Oliver?” A little of her confidence slipping as she looks into Oliver’s blue eyes.

Briefly they glance back to Helena to indicate they are ready. 

Helena looks like she might be on some kind of drug with her level of excitement. “This is so interesting seeing somebody else do it,” she squeals, clapping her hands eagerly. “Go on. Do it.”

Oliver turns his full attention to Felicity as she states, “She likes watching people do it, Oliver.” 

He nearly chokes at the innuendo, and then she leans forward and whispers in his ear, sending shivers down his spine. 

“Come on Oliver. I want to win this.”  
Straightening back up as Oliver pulls himself together, Felicity stares into his eyes. “Hmm. I love your sense of humor.”

“You do?” Oliver questions with a blinding smile.

“Which parts of it?”

“All of it,” Felicity admits, and then winks at him, “even your dirty sense of humor.” 

Then she continues, really looking into Oliver’s eyes, “I love your stories from when you were younger. 

I love that you read the index cards. 

I love the fact that you secretly have a huge heart and you will do anything for your friends and family. 

And I swear in another life, you and I are partners and vigilantes.”  
Oliver agrees softly, holding her gaze, “Yes. 

I would be the Green Arrow and you would be my Overwatch.”

“I don’t know about that,” Felicity muses, “but I know that you are a really nice person, and I really love spending time with you. 

You’re the first person whose has figured out how to stop me from babbling, and you always just smile and never make me feel embarrassed when I say inappropriate things.”

 

Felicity pauses in her thoughts at which point Helena breaks in to the moment. 

“That was lovely Felicity.” She then points to Oliver, “now it’s your turn.”  
Oliver focuses all his attention to Felicity, “I love that you will do anything for anybody. 

You’re always doing something for someone else, never thinking about yourself. I love the fact that you are the strongest woman I have ever met, and you don’t put up with my bullshit.”

“Nope. I never put up with that,” Felicity agrees with a soft smile.

 

“I love the fact that you are the only person,” Oliver pauses briefly, crinkling his nose, “that I’ve never lied to. 

And you’ve always seen me as a person, not as ‘Ollie Queen the playboy’. 

Even when I’ve given you so many reasons to leave me and not be my friend anymore, you stay. 

I trust you more than anybody. 

I know you are my always, and you changed my life when I walked into your office. 

You are my best friend. You’re the first person I want to tell when something good happens to me.”

“Even when it is 4 o’clock in the morning,” Felicity adds.

Oliver searches her face, “You don’t realize how beautiful you are and how much I love having you in my life, and how your children are just one of the best parts of you. 

It’s frustrating when you don’t think you are worth somebody giving up everything for. 

And I love your babbling. 

It’s one of the best parts of you. 

It’s one of the things that makes me smile every time that I see you.” 

Oliver leans in closer to Felicity, “God, your smile is just blinding when you are in my office. 

And when I’m bored, I can go down to your office, and there you are chewing on that red pen. 

I can just go down to see you for a bit, and then when you see me you smile so brightly, it just lights up everything, and makes me think I can make it through another few hours before I can come see you again so that we can have lunch together.”

Oliver stops speaking, and the two of them just stare at each other, oblivious to anything around them. 

They are lost in the beautiful moment, soaking up all the wonderful things the other has acknowledged about the other.

Helena breaks up their moment with a rapid change of topic, unable to handle the direction her challenge has taken. 

“I won a competition at school for the best smile, didn’t I, Felicity?” 

There is a bit of smugness to her tone, “Sadly, Felicity didn’t win because she had rabbit’s teeth, didn’t you Felicity?” 

She makes mocking rabbit faces at Felicity.

Felicity grabs her glass of wine and takes a sip to bite back unkind words. 

Oliver, however, keeps rubbing his fingers together in his nervous habit, his attention more focused than ever on Felicity.


End file.
